Friend Not Food
by KashinaKairi
Summary: Ghouls and Humans can be friends...right? Rated M for a reason. This is a Tokyo Ghoul story with all the blood, torture, canabalism, and mentions of rape. Read at your own risk.weekly updates.
1. The First Meeting

FNF 1

I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.

* * *

"Talking"

' _Thinking_ '

* * *

Kairi sighed as she stared out of the window of her family's small car. They were moving again. Her parents were investigators for the CCG, they hunted Ghouls. And they just got moved to the 4th ward. "Are we there yet?" She asked as they turned down another road. A lot of the houses seemed to be falling apart, but they were still livable.

"Just a few more blocks." Her father noted as the houses started to look better and better. "We got a house this time."

In the 15 years of Kairi's life, she had lived in 15 different parts of the city. And she could only remember 3 houses. "Yay." She cheered half heartedly. "Lots of Ghouls here?" Her parents were a strong team, they usually only got sent to wards that really needed their help. But they usually lived one ward away.

"No, they are spread out in the area." Her mother stated while looking back at her. "But we still need you to be careful. Okay?"

"Yeah mom, I get it." Her parents had been teaching her about Ghouls and the dangers of them all of her life. She could probably spot a Ghoul before some of the newbies out of the academy. The only difference was that she didn't have any way of fighting off a Ghoul.

"Here we are." Kairi hopped out of the car at her father's announcement. She stared up at the normal looking house. There was a 6 foot high wall around the house with an iron gate around it. It looked just like all of the other houses on the block. "Let's go take a look. Everything should have already been brought in." Kairi followed her parents into the house.

Inside the house was rather normal looking. All of their furniture had been moved the previous day while they were staying with friends. And now it was all here. "Home." Kairi stated as she climbed the stairs to find her room. Her room ended up on the other side of the house from her parents and near the bathroom.

"We're going out to the store." Kairi heard her mother call from downstairs. Then the sound of the door shut the house into silence. Kairi waited till she heard the car drive away before heading back downstairs. She pulled her shoes on and headed outside.

The sun was still up and it looked like she had at least 4 hours of sunlight left. "Let's see what this place has to offer." Kairi smiled as she took off at a run down the road. She came up to a dead end, but that was fixed as she climbed up onto the wall. Kairi looked around and smiled as she found a path along the tops of the walls. She ran for at least an hour, climbing, and jumping till she ended up on top of an apartment building. "Not bad."

"What have you been doing?" Kairi spun around and stared at a boy leaning against the water tank. A tall boy with short blond hair watched Kairi with curious eyes. "Not many people come up here." He slowly walked over to her and looked down at her. "Who are you? Haven't seen you around here before."

Kairi took a deep breath as she stepped away from the boy, he had gotten really close. "I just moved here. I was just looking around. If you want me to leave I-"

"Stay." Kairi stared at the boy as he sat on the edge of the building. "You're probably better company than the other person that comes around." The boy patted the spot beside him. "Sit down. You're still catching your breath."

Kairi froze at his statement, a human wouldn't have known that. "I should get back. My parents don't like me being out." She turned to leave, but stopped when she noticed another boy, this one with white hair. "Hi. I was just leaving."

"You play with food now?" Kairi froze at the white haired boy's words. He basically confirmed that they were both Ghouls. "She's a bit of a twig."

"She's not food." The blond boy stated as he rested his arm on top of Kairi's head. "I was having a conversation with her." Kairi looked between the two boys as they glared at each other.

"You two don't get along do you?" Kairi asked out loud. She froze as they both stared at her. "It's kind of obvious, but at the same time, you two tolerate each other."

"We share a roof." The white haired boy stated as he walked past the two. "And who are you?"

"Name's Kairi." Kairi stated while trying to get out from under the blond's arm, but he just moved with her. "Can you please take your arm off of my head?" She glared up at the blond boy. Her face blanked as she noticed his eyes had changed. They were no longer white with blue irises, they were now black with red irises. ' _Beautiful._ ' Was all she could think of as she stared at his eyes.

"See something you like?" The boy teased, causing Kairi to blush and look away. "Your head is comfy. My names Uta, Kairi-chan." Uta smirked as the girl crossed her arms and chewed on her lip, she was kind of cute when she was angry. "And that stick in the mud is Yomo-kun."

"Who said you could give her my name?" Yomo growled at Uta. "Who's to say she won't go the the Doves and tell them about us?" He walked up to the two and glared down at the girl beside Uta. "It's safer to just get rid of her."

"Not when my parents are Doves." Kairi muttered loud enough for them to hear. "And recently relocated to boot." She noticed the two boys tense almost instantly. "But you don't have to worry, I won't tell. Then I would be alone again."

"You don't have friends?" Uta asked as he took his arm off of Kairi's head. She looked so sad, and she was very calm for being in the presence of two Ghouls. "But you know what we are and what we can do, why aren't you scared?"

Kairi shrugged as she walked over to the edge of the building. "I've met Ghouls before. All they ever wanted to do was be normal, fit in with everyone else. One of my best friends was a Ghoul, I invited her to my house once. My parents went on a raid that night. Her parents were killed while she was sleeping over. My parents rushed home and sent my friend away. I never heard from her again."

"They killed her." Yomo stated as he glared at the girl. "You sent your friend to her death."

"I was 5!" Kairi shouted as she spun around. She froze as she found Yomo right in front of her. "I knew what happened to her the moment my parents told me she was a Ghoul. I've lived with that!" She glared up at the boy that was nearly a foot taller than her. "I may not know what your life has been like so far, but neither do you."

The two stared at each other before Uta pulled Kairi away from the edge. "I think we've socialized enough. Shall I walk you home? The sun will be setting soon." He kept himself between Kairi and Yomo, Yomo seemed a bit tense. "You better be gone when I get back."

"Bite me." Yomo stated as he sat back down on the edge of the building.

Kairi looked away from Yomo as Uta lead her down the side of the building. "Do you live around here?"

Uta nodded as he jumped down to the ground. He looked back up the two stories he had fallen. "Not far. You coming?"

"Are you kidding?" Kairi asked as she stared down at him. "If I try that I'll die, or break something."

"I'll catch you." Kairi stared at Uta in shock. "Trust me." Kairi looked around to try and find a route down, jumping would certainly be the fastest way down. "Kairi, trust me." She met Uta's red eyes and took a deep breath, then jumped off of the roof. She shut her eyes the moment her feet left the concrete. She opened them when she landed in a pair of arms. "See, easy."

Kairi let her breath out when she saw Uta had indeed caught her. She looked behind him and spotted claw-like things coming form his back. As well they were falling back to the ground, but Uta landed as thought he had just taken a step down.

Uta chuckled as Kairi stared at his kagune. "Never seen a kagune before?"

"Not like this. It's amazing." Uta set Kairi on the ground as she continued to marvel at it. "I've seen kagune before, but that's after they've been manufactured into a Quinque." She ran a hand over the claw shaped appendages.

"Nice phrasing." Uta commented as he retracted his kagune. "Which way to your place?"

"This way." Kairi began walking along the road she had followed while running along wall tops. It was fairly easy to get home. She stopped just before they turned the corner. "I'm just around the corner. Thank you for walking me home."

"Don't want me to see your house?" Uta asked in curiosity. So far Kairi had been fairly open with sharing things. "Scared I'll come eat you in the middle of the night?" It chuckled as Kairi's face reddened as her head snapped up to look at him. "Perverted much? But if that's what you want-"

"It's not!" Kairi shouted while turning away from the Ghoul. "More like my parents screen everyone I try and make friends with. I don't want you getting caught." She looked back at Uta and saw him nodding with an amused look on his face. "I'll see you around?"

"Count on it, Kairi-chan." Uta gave the girl a wink. "Now run along home little bird."

"I'm not a dove." Kairi gave Uta a small glare. He just chuckled and ruffled her hair. Once he was done she sighed as she fixed her hair and finished her walk home. Looking back she noticed a figure standing on the roof across the street. It was gone in a blink, leaving Kairi wondering if it had really been there.

Kairi shook her head as she walked into her house. She found her parents in the kitchen making dinner. "Hey, what's cooking?"

"Curry." Kairi's mom stated while she dished out rice. "Did you have a nice walk? What's the neighborhood like?"

"Just like every other neighborhood mom." Kairi helped her father set the table while her mother finished serving the food. "And the walk was very nice. I think I'm going to like it here."

* * *

And there is the start. Let me know what you thought of it.

And feel free to ask questions if you would like me to explain things.

And yes I made up Uta's kagune, because it is never shown. Or I haven't found it yet. So any help with that would be lovely. Thank you!


	2. Scars

I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.

* * *

For the next few months, Kairi would sneak out and visit the same roof top. She would usually find Uta there, and some times Yomo would be with him. And they normally had a few scratches and bruises on them, but nothing that looked serious.

Today she would go visit later, once she was done her homework. Which Kairi was in the middle of doing. She set her pencil down and stretched with a yawn. "Why does math have to be so complicated?" She set her head down on her desk with a huff.

"What's up?" Kairi sat up and looked over at her window. A masked man with blond hair sat on her windowsill inside of her bedroom. "Cozy room you got here."

Kairi frowned as she stared at the man. "Uta-kun?" The mask was made of many square pieces sewn together with two 'X's at the eyes. But something about the hair and air about him just gave his identity away to her.

"You know, the point of a mask is to hide one's identity." Uta chuckled as he removed his mask. "How'd you guess?"

"Any other Ghoul would have grabbed me and run." Kairi chuckled as she got up to shut her bedroom door. "Goodnight." She called down to her parents as she shut the door. "I'm not late you know." She shut off her desk light as she made her way to her closet to grab a sweater.

"I know." Uta stated as he watched Kairi walk around. "But we aren't going to the roof top tonight." He smirked as Kairi stared at him in confusion. "It's not safe."

"You mean the Dove raids?" Kairi had heard from her parents that there were raids almost every night. Her parents were scheduled for a raid that night as well. Her worry changed when Uta shook his head. "Territory war?"

"Yep. Someone wants my spot." Uta had explained to Kairi how he was the leader of 4th ward. Which meant he was the strongest Ghoul in the area. And anytime someone challenged him, there was usually may casualties. "I made you something."

Kairi stood in front of Uta as he pulled something out of his jacket. She looked at him as he placed a mask over her face and tied it in place. "Go take a look." Kairi walked over to her closet and pulled the door open. She stared at the mirror as she looked at the mask Uta had made her. One eye piece was large enough to cover her eyebrow, while the other was under the brow. Then multiple claw like pieces reached across her face, obscuring her features. "Yomo-kun says it looks like a spider."

"It kind of does." Kairi smiled as she pulled her hood up. "I'm certainly small enough." She giggled as Uta placed a hand on her head, he was still a good foot taller than her. "Why do I need a mask?"

"Like you said, Doves are out. Plus I don't want to share you." Uta gave Kairi a wink before he pulled his mask back on. "Let's go." He held his hand out for Kairi to take, smiling behind the mask when she took it without hesitation. He quickly picked her up before jumping out of her window.

Kairi watched in amazement as Uta traveled around the neighborhood. He was fast, elegant, and fearless. It took her breath away. But it wasn't like she would be using it to scream, more like to laugh and shout in excitement. The thrill of moving so quickly set her heart racing.

They landed just outside of an old apartment building. Uta set Kairi down gently and fixed her hair. "Have fun?" He chuckled as he listened to Kairi's heart slow down.

"That was awesome!" Kairi tried to keep her voice down, but after the adrenaline rush it was rather hard. "Do I have to keep the mask on?"

"Probably best. But don't worry, no one will touch you." Uta opened the door to the apartment and led Kairi in. "I'm back, what do we got?" Uta sat down on a couch and pulled Kairi down with him. She scooted a bit away form him, which he guessed had something to do with the blush on her cheeks. "Any sight of them?"

"A small group down the road in 3rd block. But nothing here so far." A blond haired girl walked in with a folder. She looked from Uta to the new girl beside him. "Who are you?"

"This is Kairi. She's a friend." Uta stated while thinking over what Rei had told him. "What about the Doves?"

"They've been silent." Yomo stated as he walked into the room. He stopped and frowned seeing Kairi at th hideout. "Uta, what is she doing here?" He glare at the boy while Uta just shrugged, mostly ignoring him.

"Did you say down the road is 3rd block?" Kairi asked the blond girl. She looked over at Uta with a frown. "Raid tonight is on all of 4th through to 6th block."

Uta and Yomo shared a look before Uta let out a hiss. "Fuck. Rei, get the others to start packing. We move to 9th tonight. Then back here in a week or two." He got up and started collecting papers from around the room. "Yomo, you keep an eye out for the Doves? Kairi, help me with these."

They all set about doing their jobs till another masked Ghoul burst into the room. "Uta-san, Doves are two doors down."

"We know, get cleaning." Uta ordered as he started a fire in a trashcan and dropped some papers into it. "Kairi, burn everything."

"Who's she?" the Ghoul asked as Kairi continued working. She let out a hiss as she cut herself on a paper. "She's a human." Kairi froze as the Ghoul stared at her in shock, then ran at her.

"Hands off Sasuke." Uta held the Ghoul back by his throat. "She's a friend. Now get back to work." He kept an eye on Sasuke as the Ghoul left the room. "Kairi, I'm taking you home."

"You have to make sure everything is taken care of here." Kairi argued as Uta walked up to her. "One of my parents will be leading the raid. They're the ones you will have the most problems with. The other officers and investigators are children compared to them."

"What are you suggesting?" Uta frowned wondering what Kairi was thinking. Knowing how comfortable she was around Ghouls and how much she trusted him, he wasn't sure what she had in mind.

"We have to move." Yomo commented as he walked back into the room. He watched both Uta and Kairi curiously, there was rarely ever any tension between them, but you could cut the tension with a knife.

Kairi took her mask off and handed it to Uta. "Bite me." She saw both Uta and Yomo freeze at her suggestion. "Either of my parents will stay with me over going after the Ghoul that attacked me. Thinking the Ghoul will eventually come back after having dealt with the others. They'll stay with me till an ambulance arrives."

"Are you crazy?" Yomo asked staring at the girl in shock. "Have you ever been bitten before? It's not fun."

"I've been bitten several times." Kairi stated while she crossed her arms. "It'll give you enough time to get far enough away." A sudden pounding on the front door interrupted them. "And it seems you need it."

Uta slowly nodded as he passed Kairi's mask to the other man. "Yomo, tell the others to leave, I'll be right behind you." He waited till Yomo had left before removing his own mask. "Don't you dare die."

"Then don't bite anything too major." Kairi held still as Uta pulled her towards him. She shivered as she felt him pull her sweater and shirt off of her shoulder. She let out a small whimper as his teeth sunk into her skin and muscle. A cry of pain escaped her lips as his teeth hit her collarbone. After her cry the sound of the door crashing open was heard downstairs. Kairi gripped her shoulder as she fell onto the couch. She looked at the room and found it empty, Uta had left.

"CCG! Come out with your hands up!" Kairi got up from the couch with a hiss. Looking over she saw her shoulder and most of the right side of her body covered in blood. She took one step and stumbled into the doorway, letting out another cry of pain. "We have a victim over here!" Kairi looked up as an investigator ran up to her. "Kairi-chan? Someone get Shimoto-Taichou! His daughter is injured!"

Kairi slid down the wall till she was sitting on the ground, the room was starting to spin a bit. "Kairi!" Shimoto Tousen fell to the ground in front of his daughter. By the amount of blood she was covered in, he was surprised she was still conscious. "Just stay with me baby girl. Get an ambulance over here!" He ordered the men as he checked his daughter over. "Kairi, who did this?"

Kairi shook her head, she had to make her lie believable. "I don't know. He had a mask on. Then he covered my eyes."

"What are you doing here?" Tousen asked his daughter as he took off her sweater and pressed it to the wound. "Your mother and I thought you were at home."

"I'm sorry." Kairi said as tears came to her eyes, her father was pushing on her wound really hard to try and stop the blood. "I met someone, and I didn't want you two to scare him away." Kairi fought to keep her eyes open, she was so tired all of a sudden.

"Kairi, stay awake." Tousen called to his daughter as she fought to keep her eyes open. "I know you're tired, but I need you to stay awake." He could hear sirens coming in trough the door downstairs. "Kairi, I'm going to move you, okay?"

Kairi nodded as he father picked her up. She could see everything, but her mind wasn't registering it all. Her mother came over crying at one point. Then she was in the back of a bright white ambulance. Then people were yelling at her as she finally managed to drift off to sleep.

* * *

Kairi was in the hospital for a week. She had lost a lot of blood, but apparently nothing had been bitten off or broken. They said she was lucky her father showed up when he did. Kairi was more than happy when she was finally released from the hospital.

"Home!" She called out as she walked into her house. Her arm was in a sling, but her injury was healed and she was fully functioning. It was there because her parents were still worried she would tear her wound open if she moved it too much. "Such a beautiful place."

"Someone's excited." Kairi gave her mother a smile as she started leaping up the stairs. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes. It's left overs."

"Alright." Kairi replied as she got into her room and fell onto her bed. The hospital bed had not been comfortable. "I missed my room." She giggled as she rolled herself up in her comforter.

The sound of her cell phone buzzing pulled her out of her happy bubble. But seeing who it was put a smile back onto her face. Uta had texted. "Back from the hospital yet?"

Kairi smiled as she texted back. "Yep. I have a sling, but I don't need it. You guys all okay?"

"Yep." The short text came back almost as soon as she had sent the other one. "Want me to come get you?"

Kairi thought for a moment. There was a good chance her parents would be checking up on her during the night, but she could always move her pillows so it looked like she was in her bed. "Yes please. Give me an hour." She left her phone on her bed as she went over to her closet to change her clothes. Her mother had grabbed her something to wear home from the hospital, but it still smelled like the hospital.

Forty minutes later Kairi was walking down the hall from her room towards the stairs. She pulled a sweater on over her tank top. Under her top were bandages covering the new skin that had grown over her bite mark. The bandages covered her shoulder, and upper torso.

Kairi paused at the top of the stairs, it was silent downstairs. "Mom?" Kairi called hesitantly as she climbed down the stairs. She walked into the kitchen and found no one. Food was on the table, still steaming, but no sign of her parents. "Dad!" Kairi called in worry, something wasn't right.

Kairi pulled out her phone and began writing a text to Uta. "I would stop if I were you." Kairi spun around to see who had spoken. A hand grabbed her throat and threw her backwards. She landed on the dinning table, flipping it over and all of the food on her. "I don't think you will be needing this." Kairi looked up as a black haired man held up her phone, then crushed it in his hand. "And I wouldn't make a sound either. Otherwise one of them might lose their head."

Kairi followed the man's gaze to the living room. She found her parents tied up with duct tape with 5 Ghouls around them. She noticed a quinque case in the corner of the room, most likely tossed there. Then on the ground, scattered and broken, were pieces of a black quinqeu, her mother's Black Bullet. "Mom...dad..." She whispered as she saw them looking so defeated. She glared back the the Ghoul that had broken into her home. "Who are you?"

"The name's Fuma." Kairi ground her teeth together as Fuma picked her up by her hair and dragged her into the living room. "You were not that easy to find." He tossed her to another one of Ghouls who tied her hands with duct tape and placed another piece over her mouth. "But I found you, Uta's little pet." Kairi stared at him in shock. "Did you think I was stupid? The scent of your pretty little blood was all over his hideout. Then the reports of two Doves visiting a hospital daily. Then the fact that you weren't missing a single bit of flesh." As he spoke he unzipped her sweater and pushed it off of her shoulders. His hand traced the spot on her collar bone where Uta had bitten her. "This wasn't an attacking bite, it's more like a love bite."

Kairi could hear her parents struggling and trying to curse the Ghoul, but with the gag it was all muffled. She froze as Fuma placed a hand at the top of her tank top, then tore through it. She tried to move to cover herself, but the Ghoul behind her kept her in her kneeling position. 'At least the bandages cover everything.'

Kairi froze again as the man's hand gently wrapped around her neck. "Shall I show your parents what they missed?" He whispered in her ear before standing up and walking over to her parents. "Your little girl here is friends with a Ghoul. She told him to bite her so he and his friends could get away from you both." He chuckled as the two parents continued to glare death at him and tried to yell at him through their gags. "And this is how you can tell." Fuma grabbed Kairi's mom's throat and lifted her up. In an instant his teeth were sinking into her throat, blood squirting around the room.

Kairi stared in horror as she watched the blood cover the room. She was snapped out of her daze when her mother's corpse hit the floor. She tried to get to her mother, but she was being held back.

Fuma chuckled as he whipped the blood from his mouth. "Her blood smells almost like yours. But yours has a spice to it." Fuma shot a smirk at Kairi's father. "She must get that from you." He chuckled as he saw the two humans staring at the corpse in shock and sadness. "Boys, have a snack."

Kairi shut her eyes and looked away as the Ghouls began tearing at her mother's body. For a moment she felt no pressure on her hands, then she was pulled back onto her ass. She shot a glare up at Fuma as he pulled her against his chest. "Shall we give your old man a show before he dies?" Kairi tried curling herself into a ball as Fuma's hand reached around to her front. "Now now, I'll make sure you enjoy yourself."

Kairi felt tears burn her eyes as a sharp nail began cutting through the bandages, nicking her skin every now and then. ' _Uta...help..._ ' A muffled sob escaped her throat when Fuma's hand ran over her stomach and towards her shorts.

"Hands off." Kairi's eyes snapped open as the body behind her was thrown off. She looked behind her, a Ghoul with a mask made of squares stood over her.

Fuma glared in rage at the newcomers. "Kugo!" Fuma shouted as the Ghoul that still had a hostage ripped the human's head off. He smirked as the girl stared in horror, then started screaming loudly behind her gag.

Uta glared at the Ghouls, they had really crossed a line. "Yomo-kun, watch Kairi." He cracked his knuckles as he drew his kagune out.

Yomo stared as Uta walked towards the Ghouls in the living room. Normally neither him or Uta would care if a Dove family was killed. But then again, Kairi wasn't a normal human they met either. She wasn't scared of them, she accepted them. It made them feel normal, human almost.

He turned his attention to Kairi, she had grown quiet and still. "Kairi?" He gently removed the tape from her mouth and hands, but still she didn't move or make a sound. "Hey, talk to me." He tilted her face towards his, her eyes were vacant. "Everything is going to be okay." He pulled her sweater up and zipped it shut. "Let's get you out of here."

"Boss won't like that." Yomo ducked as a kagune sliced above his head. "And boss always gets what he wants." A single Ghoul stood ready to attack him. But with Kairi unresponsive, Yomo was at a disadvantage. The Ghoul swiped at them, making sure to attack on Kairi's side.

Yomo knocked Kairi out of the way while he took the hit. Kairi could faintly register what was going on. She knew who Uta and Yomo where. But she didn't understand what was happening anymore, it all felt so wrong. She leaned back against the wall, not realizing how far back it was and missed it. But she hit something else instead, her father's Quinque case.

Kairi looked from the white case to the fight still going on in her living room. "Why not." She pushed herself to a standing position and picked up the case. She saw one of the other Ghouls take note of her and run at her. "Come at me." She pushed the button on the handle as she swung it in front of her. She cut through the Ghoul's head as the large red scythe took shape mid swing. Repositioning the scythe, she held onto the second handle and pulled the trigger, shooting another one of the Ghouls in the head. By this point the other three Ghouls that had broken into her house were paying attention to her. "Die."

Uta and Yomo didn't hesitate to take down the remaining Ghouls when they stared at Kairi. In all honesty, they had been shocked by Kairi's actions as well. They had thought it would take a few weeks to get a response from her again. But as they turned to congratulate her, she collapsed.

Uta caught Kairi before she hit the floor, setting the scythe down beside them. "Kairi? Kairi, wake up." She shook her shoulder but there was no response. The distant sounds of sirens was the only thing heard in the silent house. "We need to leave."

"We can't take her." Yomo noticed the unhappy look on Uta's face, he knew they couldn't. "If we take her and she pops up later, it will only give her trouble."

"We can't just leave her." Uta hugged Kairi as the sound of Sirens grew louder. "I won't leave her."

"You stay, you die." Yomo stood up and picked up the scythe. "I'll hold onto this for her. I'll put it with her mask." He placed a hand on Uta's shoulder. "Don't die. Otherwise she might kill me." The last thing he did was collect Ut'a mask before he left the house unseen.

Uta chuckled as Yomo left. He took a few deep breaths as his eyes changed to match those of a human. He gathered Kairi up in his arms before he ventured for the front door. The sirens were loud, probably just beyond the gate. "Might as well put on a show." Uta kicked the door open, luckily no one shot at him. He walked out and was surprised to see quite a large number of police and investigators outside.

"Kairi-chan?!" One of the investigators called out as he ran up to Uta. "What about Tousen-san and Fumi-san?"

"No one else is alive in there." Uta stated as the officer ushered him towards an ambulance. He set Kairi down on the bed before climbing into the vehicle. The doors were shut as they drove off towards the hospital. He held onto Kairi's hand as she laid unmoving on the bed. "You're going to be okay Kairi, I promise."

* * *

Kairi woke up to an annoying beeping sound. She opened her eyes and found herself in a room of spotless white. ' _Great, I'm back in the hospital._ ' She slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position as she looked around the room. There was no one else in the room.

The door to her room opened and a nurse walked in. The nurse froze as she caught sight of her. She stepped back out of the room and called down the hall. "Young man, your friend is awake."

Kairi blinked as the sound of running feet was heard before a winded Uta ran into the room. "Kairi." Uta ran up to her bedside and hugged her. "You're awake." Kairi slowly returned the hug back, Uta usually didn't give hugs. He certainly wasn't apposed to touching, but he never initiated a hug.

"Um...yeah. How long have I been out?" Kairi asked as the nurse began to check her over.

"You've been awake for a few days now." The nurse replied as she hooked her up to a blood pressure machine. "But it's only been for an hour at most. And you haven't been alert or responsive at all." The nurse marked down all of the numbers on the clipboard as she continued to explain. "We can only assume it was caused by the severe trauma of seeing your parents die. To have them eaten by Ghouls in front of you, must have been terrible." She shook her head as she walked out of the room.

Uta watched Kairi carefully, she didn't seem to remember what the nurse was talking about. "What do you remember?"

Kairi frowned as she stared at her lap, her hand slowly drifting to her shoulder. "I just got out of the hospital. You bit me so you could get away."

"Which you suggested." Uta pointed out, causing Kairi to giggle a bit. "What else?"

"Um..." Kairi tried to think, but nothing was coming. "I think we were having meatloaf, or was it left overs. Everything's blurry." She held her head as a slight headache developed on the side of her head. "I can't remember my parent's names. I don't even remember what they sounded like."

Uta reached a hand out to comfort Kairi. "Kairi-chan?" He pulled his hand back as a pair of investigators walked into the hospital room. "It's good to see you're awake. Do you remember me? Your father trained me a few years back. You used to call me-"

"Ta-kun." Kairi finished for him. "I remember. You used to make cookies for my dad on his birthday. How can I help you?"

"We have some things we need to talk to you about, concerning your parent's deaths." Kairi nodded at the grave tone the man had switched to. "If we could have some privacy?"

"Sure." Uta gave Kairi a small smile as he got up form his chair. "I'm going to get some coffee. You want some?" He asked to everyone in the room, they all declined. "I'll be back soon." He laid a hand on Kairi's shoulder before he left the room.

Kairi watched as Uta left, a sinking feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. "So what do we need to talk about?"

"Your parent's wills." Ta-kun held up two folders. "We thought we would go over them with you."

"Sure." Kairi nodded as the two investigators took seats, this was going to be a long discussion.

* * *

After almost 5 hours of talking, the nurse told the two investigators that visiting hours was over. "Excuse me?" Kairi asked the nurse as she removed her IVs. "A friend of mine was waiting for us to finish, was he still waiting when you came by?"

The nurse shook her head. "There was no one waiting. Do you mean the blond haired young man with the strange glasses?" Kairi nodded at the nurse's description. "I saw him go to the cafeteria, but he never came back out. He might have left through the side door."

"Oh." Kairi stated saddly, Uta had just left. But she also understood, he was leader of 4th ward, so he probably had things to do. She sat in her bed as the nurse left the room and shut the door. A knock at her window drew her attention, the bird mask gave away the knocker. "Yomo-kun?" Kairi ran over to the window and opened the patio door beside it. "Yomo-kun, what are you doing here?"

Yomo walked into the room and took his mask off as he looked around. "I came to get Uta, he's been gone all day."

Kairi frowned remembering what the nurse had said. "Uta left almost 5 hours ago. A pair of Doves-" Kairi stopped remembering the looks the two had been giving Uta. "Oh god. Uta got caught!" She saw Yomo's jaw clench as he looked away, silently cursing. "We have to get him back."

"We can't." Yomo said looking down at Kairi. "Once the CCG catches someone, their as good as de-" A loud smack resonated around the sparse room.

Kairi glared up at Yomo. "Don't you say that." Her hands clenched into a fist as she glared up at the Ghoul in front of her. "That may have been the case with Ghouls trying to rescue other Ghouls, but I am not a Ghoul. So help me get Uta back."

Yomo rubbed his reddening cheek. "You could have just said so in the first place."

"But then I wouldn't have gotten to slap you." Kairi gave the silver haired Ghoul a smile. "Now then, where's my mask?"

* * *

Kairi followed Yomo up to the roof of the building. "You sure this is the one?" She asked as they came up to an air vent.

"Yep." Yomo pulled the grate off and set it down. "Remember, we've got ten minutes to get Uta out once the alarm goes off. After that the others won't be able to hold their own." He helped Kairi climb into the vent before following after her.

Kairi adjusted the briefcase on her back as she crawled through the vent. They came up to a cross road and she took a left. "Left, right, straight, straight, left, straight, fourth cover on the right." She whispers to herself as she took the next right. They kept going till they came up to a red grid blocking their way. "Ghoul detector."

"That wasn't in the plan." Yomo hissed as he looked around Kairi to see the problem.

"Well it's in the plan now." Kairi laid down flat in the vent. "Take the Quinque off, it'll set off the alarm."

Yomo frowned as he unclipped the brief case form her back. "What are you going to do?"

"Improvise." Kairi said as she moved towards the grid. She poked it and smiled as nothing happened. She crawled through it and looked back at Yomo. "I'll see if I can find an access panel." She continued down the path, following the pattern she had memorized. There wasn't any access panel to be found, but she found the vent. "Might as well." She shrugged as she pulled the vent off and set it down beside her. She crawled out of the vent and smiled as she found herself in an electrical room. "Time for some improvising."

Kairi cracked her knuckles before looking around to find what she was looking for. She found the power panel to the security system and looked around till she found the one linked to the air vents. She flipped the switch and waited to see if Yomo had stuck around. She was rewarded when Yomo climbed out of the vent 5 minutes later. "Nice job. Turn it back on so they think it was just a reset." She did just that as Yomo replaced the vent cover.

Kairi took the case back from Yomo and slung it on her back again. They snuck out of the room and down the halls till they came to a large door. Written in large block letter read 'DANGER: GHOULS INSIDE!' The two shared a snicker as they hid around a corner.

Yomo pulled out a transmitter and pushed the button. After a few moments an alarm sounded. The two stayed still as officers and other personnel ran past them. They were either heading for the front gate or for a safe room. But the two of them were heading for the danger zone.

They ran up to the door and tried opening, but the system was on lockdown and the door was far to large. "We don't have time for this." Kairi pulled the Quinque off of her back by the handle and activated it. She swung it at the door several times, slicing through the metal like it was butter. Yomo pushed the broken door in, letting the loud bang alert everyone inside of their entrance. "Let's go."

Yomo gripped her forearm. "Be careful. Other Ghouls might not be as friendly." He warned her as they set foot inside of the area. The walls were all metal, the only opening in each cell were bars at the top of the doors. "Uta! Where are ya you bastard?" Yomo called out, hoping he would hear him.

They didn't hear anything in response. Kairi gripped her Quinque and growled as she swung at a door, slicing through the lock. She yanked the door open and looked inside. She found a man with bandages over one of his eyes. "Nope." Kairi said before moving on to the next cell.

Yomo watched as Kairi cut through doors as quickly as she could. He noticed a few of the incarcerated Ghouls peek out of the cell and look around. It was almost as if they had been trained not to leave their cells. "Kairi, cut through them all. We're breaking everyone out!" He called out as Kairi let out a cry as she began cutting through the doors, but leaving them closed. Now the Ghouls were moving.

Kairi cut through doors on her left then spinning around to cut the one opposite to it. But no matter how many she had cut, none of them were Uta. When she reached the end she let out a frustrated yell, he wasn't here. She followed the crowd of Ghouls back to Yomo. "He's not here."

"You looking for the blond guy they brought today?" The two looked over to see the one eyed man from the first cell. "They took him up to extraction earlier. But with the lockdown they will have stopped for now."

"Extraction." Kairi whispered as she gripped the Quinque in her hand. "What floor is it on?"

"Go up those stairs and it will be one of those doors. There are 5 operating room." The man pointed to a set of stairs behind the two. "Hope your friend is alright."

Kairi gave the man a smile. "Thank you!" She called out as they ran up the stairs.

"Kairi, we're out of time." Yomo said as they reached the top of the stairs. "We can't stay."

Kairi looked through the doors to see if she could see Uta in any of them. "You can go, I'm not leaving without Uta. Besides, with the Ghouls on the loose we have at least 5 minutes. And that's if the investigators here can contain the Ghouls. If not it will be another 15 before reinforcements arrive from the nearest ward." She pulled at a door, but found it locked. "I hate locks."

Yomo kicked the door in with his hands in his pockets. "I hate them too." They walked into the well lit room. No human's were present, but there was someone very heavily chained down to a table. "Uta, you look like shit."

Kairi ran up to the table and smiled as she saw Uta just chained to the table. No blood was to be found. "Looks like we made it in time." She quickly cut through the chains as Yomo tried to pick them. They were too hard for him to break. "Allow me." She said as she waited for him to move back so she could just cut through it.

Uta sat up and stretched. "They've had me chained down for hours. And all they were doing was talking." Uta whined as he took his mask from Yomo. "They know my face now. A mask won't stop them from finding me."

"Then we change some things." Kairi suggested as she put the Quinque away. "Let's go, this place gives me the creeps."

"It gives you the creeps?" Uta asked as he followed the two out of the operating room. "You don't even have a kagune for them to extract. How would it-" He stopped when Yomo hit him over the head. "What was that for?"

"Her friend had her kagune removed." Yomo stated, remembering the first time they met Kairi. "Who knows where it is now." They lapped into silence as they continued running.

"I don't remember here." Kairi said as they came to a large window. "Did we come this way?"

"No, I don't recognize it." Yomo stated as he looked out of the window. "I can see the front gate, they're cleaning up."

Uta looked outside and tilted his head. "So, how are we getting out?" He asked as he looked at his two rescuers.

Kairi shrugged. "Walk out the front gate?" She noticed her two friends look at her with skepticism. "What?"

"Kairi, we could probably do that, but we are Ghouls." Yomo stated while pointing to him and Uta. "They will kill you."

"They use bullets that can kill you." Kairi pointed out while putting her hands on her hips. "Besides, we have the other Ghouls as well." Another alarm sounded in the building. "And it looks like they just found out about the break out. Let's go!"

"When did she become the leader?" Uta asked as they followed behind the human girl. Yomo just gave him a shrug as they continued to run down halls. They came to a stop when they heard the sound of fighting. They all peaked around the corner, there was a group of people fighting an investigator. "How do we get past him?"

"Easily." Kairi smirked as she placed a hand on her Quinque. "Time to show them that the Scarlet Fang isn't missing." She ran around the corner and pulled her Quinque off of her back. "Move!" She shouted as she swung. Her scythe clanged against the investigator's sword. "That goes double for you." She reversed the grip on her weapon and knocked his quinque away from his body.

Yomo easily slipped between the two and thrust his hand into the investigator's heart. He let the corpse fall to the ground before looking at Kairi. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were suicidal."

"Or a Ghoul." Uta commented as he walked past them and placed a hand on the door. "Now to get this thing open." His kagune slid from his back and curled around his upper body. He cut a hole through the thick metal door before kicking it outside. "Now we just need to get past the gate."

"Not too hard." Kairi commented while looking at the short distance. "We just have multiple officers armed to the teeth with guns to avoid."

"Piece of cake." Yomo commented. "If you can run as fast as a Ghoul that is." He gave Kairi a wink.

Uta rolled his eyes behind his mask before he picked Kairi up. "Don't you dare stab me with that." He commented as he secured her over his shoulder. "Let's go!" He shouted as he ran out of the doors and towards the gate. He easily avoided the bullets and reached the gate in under 10 seconds. He jumped over the gate in one leap and continued on into the night.

Kairi watched with a smile as the building grew smaller behind them. There were quite a few Ghouls following them. "Thank you." She looked at the back of Uta's head. She was sure she had heard him, but doubted he would ever tell it to her face. So she just smiled and warched the night go by.

* * *

Kairi waited by the front desk of the hospital patiently. It had been two days since she had woken up and broken Uta out of the CCG extraction facility, that was enough time in a hospital for her. Right now she was just waiting for the bill.

"Here it is." The nurse smiled as she handed the bill to Kairi. "The CCG covered every expense."

Kairi frowned as she looked at the bill. It was true she was fully insured since both of her parents were investigators, but why was she still being covered. "Did they say why?"

"Something about benefits for families." The nurse said before she left and went back to work.

Kairi shrugged as she stored the bill in her purse and walked out of the hospital. She began walking down the road to her house, since she didn't have the car at the hospital. It only took four blocks before she had two people walking beside her. "Were you both waiting?" She giggled as Uta and Yomo shrugged in response.

"Did they suspect anything?" Uta asked as he pulled his hood further over his face. They had dyed his hair black, but apparently people could still recognize him.

"Nope." Kairi shook her head with a smirk. "But they were very hesitant to tell me that a Ghoul was in position of my father's Quinque. And apparently her name is The Black Widow." She giggled thinking of herself as a Ghoul vigilante. "Although they were very persistent in telling me you were the dreaded No-Face Ghoul. Saying I was lucky you never got the chance to eat me."

The three laughed as they walked down the road. They stopped once they were in front of Kairi's house. Yomo could see the hesitation on Kairi's face. "They've cleaned it up. You can't even tell-"

"-that they ever lived here?" Kairi interrupted. "You don't have to tiptoe around it. My parents died in this house. I watched them die. But I don't remember it. All I know is what I've been told." She pushed open the gate with a sigh. "Want to come inside? I've never come home to an empty house."

Uta walked past Kairi with his hands in his pocket. "About time. How long have we been friends?" He joked with her.

Kairi followed the two into the empty house. "Maybe I could get a small apartment?" She thought as she looked around at all of the empty space. "It's not like I need all of this."

"Maybe I'll come visit." Uta stated as he walked into the kitchen. "You got coffee? Yomo, make coffee."

"I make coffee all day, I'm not making coffee in my free time." Yomo growled as he followed Uta into the kitchen.

Kairi followed after them. "Uta-kun, what do you mean come visit? Are you leaving 4th ward?" She noticed the two of them share a look. "What are you two keeping a secret?"

"4th ward is about to become uninhabitable for us Ghouls." Yomo stated while he leaned on the counter behind him. "We've already given out an evacuation advisement to the Ghouls in the area."

"And I've stated that I am leaving." Uta pulled out three mugs and set them down.

"But you're the leader. What will happen when you leave?" Kairi opened a cabinet and pulled out a hot water heater.

Uta reached around and took the water heater form Kairi. "Someone else will take over." He filled the heater with water and turned it on. "So where's the coffee?"

Kairi chuckled as she walked across the kitchen and pulled a cabinet open. She squeaked as a package of coffee fell down at her. Yomo caught the package before it hit Kairi. "Still jumpy?" He commented as he brought the coffee over to the counter to portion some out into each mug.

Kairi laughed nervously as she scratched the back of her head. "A bit I guess." She leaned back on the counter as silence settled between the three. "I need to bake."

"Bake?" Uta asked as Kairi began walking around the kitchen gathering ingredients. "What are you gonna make?"

"I don't know." Kairi frowned as she looked around at all of the ingredients she had. "I wish I could make something you two could eat as well."

"Unless you use human flesh, that isn't going to happen." Yomo commented trying to imagine what it would be like to eat human food that didn't taste terrible. "And I don't think you're about to become a cannibal for our sakes."

Kairi paused for a moment. "I think you're on to something." She laughed as her friends stared at her with a mixture of worry and disbelief. "It's going to take some time, but I think I can pull it off. Maybe I can even open a cafe?"

Uta shook his head as Kairi continued gathering ingredients. "You're crazy." The three of them laughed as they spent the night just hanging out.

* * *

Long freakin chapter. So, there are going to be a lot of things that i am going to be inventing. Because this is a fanfiction and also because the information just does not exist. Like what happened in 4th ward. Or how old anybody but the main characters are. And yes, Scarlet Fang is basically Ruby's scythe from RWBY. Because that weapon is awesome.

Let me know what you think of the story. And warning, not all of the chapters are going to be this long(or short if this ends up being the shortest chapter other than the intro chapter). But please enjoy.


	3. New Day

I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.

And I can't believe I feel the need to put this. But please do not try to recreate any of the food. For some reason I have a feeling some idiot might just do it. And it's sad to think that that is a worry I have.

* * *

~Years later~

The sun shone brightly on 4th ward. And tucked in a small corner, at the end of a small street just off the main road, was a little cafe. And in the basement was a mask shop, and on the top floor was a bar. A few years back three friends bought the place. Since then the top floor had changed ownership, but they were all friends living together still.

The blinds of the cafe lifted up as the open sign got turned around. Shimoto Kairi ran the cafe and cooked everything. She would never served anything she wouldn't eat herself, and her customers loved her food.

"Alright girls, let's make sure everyone leaves with a smile." Kairi told her three servers as she moved to the kitchen of the cafe. "Yuki-chan, did Yomo deliver everything?" She asked her head server before heading into the back to prepare for orders.

"He should be doing that now." Yuki commented as she tied her apron back.

Kairi nodded as she walked up to Yuki and fixed the girl's hair. "Deep breath Yuki-chan. Your eyes are dark." She commented as the girl suppressed her kakugan to change her eye color. "There you go. Sadly not many of us can pull off the cover of sclera tattoos." She looked around for one more check of the cafe. "Make sure to check the other girls before anyone else gets started."

Kairi walked to the back and took a deep breath of her kitchen. She had several loaves of bread cooling and muffins ready to go out to the front along with donuts, bagels, and pastries. "Earth to Kairi, can you get the freezer door?" Kairi opened her eyes and smiled as she caught sight of Yomo with his arms full of packages. "I still don't know how you go through so much stuff. Or what you even do with most of it." Yomo commented as he walked into the freezer and dropped the packages on a shelf. "You know this isn't easy to find."

"But you find it." Kairi gave her friend a smile as she shut the freezer door. "Want a muffin before you go?"

"Really? Using me as a test bunny?" Yomo complained as she tossed a muffin at him. "What did you put in it this time?"

"This time I mixed coffee into the batter and also the dusting on top." She watched eagerly as Yomo took a bite. "So, what do you think?"

Yomo nodded as he chewed the muffin. "Not bad. Taste is good. Texture is still weird, but it's not off putting." He took another bite of the muffin. "What do you think of it?"

"It's fluffy and has a good flavor." Kairi smiled as she opened the divider between the kitchen and the rest of the cafe. "So it's a go." She picked up the cooled pans of muffins and placed them on the counter. "Katia, Momo, start filling the display."

Yomo finished his muffin as he watched his friend start working. "The Manager is coming by. He wants to talk to you about something." He chuckled as Kairi gave him a questioning look. "I don't know what it's about. But he is bringing everyone by apparently."

"Then I'll be sure they eat well." Kairi gave her friend a smile as he left through the back. She turned her attention back to the front as her breakfast customers started arriving. "Welcome to Haven!"

* * *

It was finally noon when their expected guests finally arrived. "I see you brought everyone." Kairi walked out of the kitchen and gave everyone form Anteiku a smile. "Irimi-chan, Koma-kun, how's life been." She smiled as the two greeted her with a wave. "Touka-chan!" Kairi pulled the girl into a hug, which she tried to avoid. "You've grown! And who is this new face?" Kairi smiled as she looked at the newest member of Anteiku. He wore and eyepatch and seemed rather jumpy.

"This is Kaneki Ken, he just. Started a few months ago." Yoshimaru stated as he sat down at a bar stool. "How about some lunch? We had to come a bit of a ways."

"Of course." Kairi pulled me use up and set them in front of everyone. She noticed Touka and Kaneki looking in confusion. "Don't worry, everything is edible." She looked away from the large group as a pair of nicely dressed men with briefcases walked in. "Welcome to Haven, Yuki, you have a customer." She called towards the back as she kept an eye on the two Doves as her senior server headed over to them. "So what can I get everyone?"

"BLT sandwich." Irimi ordered as she set her menu down. "Best thing in my opinion."

Koma chuckled as he set his menu down. "No way. Curry bowl is the best."

Kairi shook her head as she took down orders. "Coffee and cakes for you Touka?" She giggled as the girl just blushed and nodded. "The usual steak sandwich for Yoshimaru-san." She caught a smile from the old man as he replaced his menu. Kairi then turned her attention to the newest member of Anteiku. "And what will you have, Kaneki-kun?"

"Um..." Kairi giggled as the boy stared at the menu. "I guess...the classic burger?"

"You got it." Kairi smiled as she collected all of the menus. "Momo, can you get them all the drink of the day? I want their opinion." She walked into the back to make the food. She also noticed she had a food order for the CCG investigators. "Alright, let's work."

It only took about 10 minutes till she had everyone's food done, including the Doves'. "Order up!" She called as she placed everything on the counter. "Red plates for the investigators." She told Yuki as the girl came over to collect the order. Kairi set all of the food down in front of everyone. "Enjoy!"

Everyone was eating happily, but Kaneki seemed shocked. Touka elbowed him in the ribs. "Eat. It's good." Kaneki hesitantly lifted the burger up to his mouth and took a bite. He froze, his face all screwed up. Then it relaxed, it tasted really good. He instantly began eating. "Told you."

Kairi frowned as she watched Kaneki. "Does he not eat or something?" She chuckled quietly as she watched him eat happily.

"He's had problems with eating food." Koma commented with a mouthful of curry. "And he keeps to the sugar cubes mostly."

Kairi raised an eyebrow once more. She had never heard of a Ghoul that didn't like eating, either human food or humans. She turned her attention to Yoshimaru. "So, Yomo said you wanted to talk to me about something."

Yoshimaru nodded as he wiped his mouth. "Is there somewhere private we can discuss things?" He got up and followed Kairi to the back of the cafe to her office. "The Doves are getting suspicious of 20th ward. I need your help with releasing suspicion on the shop."

Kairi nodded as she leaned onto her desk. "I can leave Yuki in charge here. She knows how to prepare the food and ingredients safely. And I just got two new servers, so the staffing is covered." It would take a few months at least to get Anteiku at the same level as Haven. "The only question is Uta-"

"What about me?" Kairi and Yoshimaru looked over to see Uta coming up form the basement. "Hey there, Yoshimaru-san."

"Uta-kun." Yoshimaru acknowledged the Ghoul as he made his way over to Kairi's side. "I was just asking Kairi for her assistance at Anteiku. It wouldn't be for long."

"It will take a month at least to build up a supply of ingredients." Kairi held up her hand and began counting. "Then another three to train everyone on the proper preparation and storage of the ingredients. Then another three to train them how to cook it and season it properly to fit both taste pallets." She looked form her hands to Yoshimaru. "You're looking at at least half a year."

"If that is what is needed, then it is a price I shall pay." Yoshimaru stated calmly. "Will you help?"

Kairi gave the old man a smile. "Of course. I wouldn't have Haven if you hadn't helped." She looked over at Uta with a small smile. "And I wouldn't have my friends either."

"Thank you." Yoshimaru thanked Kairi. "And your tea was quite lovely. I will have to consult you on drinks as well."

Kairi giggled as she walked out of the office and back out into the cafe. "Well, since you are more of a drink cafe, I will have to create a completely different menu for you. Plus test it all out." She laughed as Uta grabbed a piece of pie from behind the display case. "At least I have pastries and pie perfected."

"Kairi-chan?" Kairi turned her attention to the man addressing her. Her eyes widened as she recognized the investigator. "Shimoto Kairi. So this is where you moved off to."

"Ta-kun?" Kairi hadn't seen officer Takeda Takashi since she moved away from her parents house. "Did you just get transferred here?"

Takeda laughed. "I wish. 4th ward is peaceful compared to where I'm at. 9th ward is hell." Kairi nodded as she began collecting plates form an emtpy table. "So, how have you been? Everyone was worried when you up and decided to leave. Left everything at your house as well." Kairi stayed silent as the man behind her spoke. "The house is still there, it's yours. I'm sure your parents-"

"My parents don't care." Kairi spun around and faced the Dove with a small glare. "They're dead, and I don't need to be in their empty house to remember that." She walked past him to go into the kitchen.

"We've spotted Black Widow." He noticed Kairi freeze at the name. "She has your father's Scarlet Fang. And she was last seen in 10th ward about 2 weeks ago. Several wards are getting together to hunt her down. And maybe we'll even find No-Face and Raven." Kairi had grown still as he spoke. "You look like your mother you know. Take care, Kairi-chan."

Kairi took deep breaths as she waited for Ta-kun to leave. The moment he was gone she rushed to the back. She dropped the plates in the sink and kept moving, not caring that a few had broken. "Kairi!" She didn't stop when she heard Uta call after her. "Kairi stop!" Uta grabbed her arm and spun her around, pressing her to his chest once she was facing him. "It's alright. You're safe."

Kairi gasped for air as tears streamed down her face. "I don't want to remember." She gasped out as flashes of pain and heartache poked at her mind. "I don't care if I never remember what they were like, I just don't want to remember them dying."

Uta pet Kairi's hair as she continued to try and stop herself from crying, it never worked once she started. "Just focus on me. Focus on right now." Kairi took a deep breath as she nodded. "There we go, one more deep breath." He took a deep breath with her. "Better?"

Kairi nodded as she pulled away from Uta. "Thank you." She gave him a smile as she wiped the tears from her face. "I got your top all wet."

"I don't mind." Uta shrugged as he walked past Kairi. "But I will take payment in the form of a whole pie." He smiled as he picked a cooling pie up from the counter. "And don't be gone too long."

Kairi gave him one last smile as he retreated to his basement with his pie. Ever since she had perfected pie that was all Uta wanted to eat. And of course she always made whatever flavor he wanted. She gave a sigh as she looked around her little kitchen. "Yuki-chan, we need to talk." She walked out of the kitchen, ready to give the news to her head waitress's new promotion.

* * *

Uta sighed as he looked down into the amber liquid in his glass. "And the night drinking continues." Uta looked up as someone entered the bar and sat down beside him. "You know I closed a few hours ago." Itori laughed to herself as she poured herself a drink. "What's got you up?"

"Nothing." Uta stated as he finished his drink. He got up to leave, but Itori stopped him. "It's nothing you need to worry about."

"Another nightmare?" Uta sighed as he sat back in his seat. Itori poured him another drink. "You need to stop worry. She's going to be fine." Itori shook her head as her friend drank his entire glass in one gulp.

"You don't know that." Uta ran a finger around the edge of the glass. "She's not a Ghoul. Someone could target her while she is working at the shop. Or what if she realizes she is better off with humans."

"Are you scared of loosing her?" Itori asked as she rested her chin on her hands. "Because you and I both know she won't leave if she doesn't want to. She a stubborn human like that." She took a sip of her drink before continuing. "And she may not be a Ghoul, but she is certainly not someone to be messed with."

"It still doesn't change the fact that she's human." Uta flicked the glass across the bar, knocking it over the edge. "She's fragile, breakable." His kagune caught the glass before it hit the floor, gently placing it on the table. "Without proper care or caution, she'll shatter."

Itori watched with a frown on her face as Uta examined the glass. She could pick up a small crack glinting in the light. "Is that why you both are still just friends?" Uta remained silent in his seat. "We all know you two like each other, but damn it Uta, why do you have to be so...you!?" She gestured to him, to finding any other explanation for his actions.

Uta sighed as he got up form his seat. "Sorry about the glass." He mumbled as he walked out of the bar and back down to the basement. He paused at the main level and looked out into the cafe.

If the window was open, it would look just like his dream. Kairi would be standing by the door with a bag in her hand and tears streaming down her face. She would call him a monster and run out the front door. Then he would chase after her. But before he could reach her, someone else would. And she would die the same way her father had.

Uta took a shuddering breath as he tried to clear the image from his mind. "Uta-kun?" He spun a round and found Kairi standing by the stairs, her room was up on the second floor. "What are you doing up? It's 5 in the morning." Kairi yawned as she walked over to the kitchen.

Uta shrugged as he moved out of Kairi's way. "Couldn't sleep. You starting your day?" Kairi gave him a nod as she started making coffee. Uta mimicked her nod as he watched her move around the small kitchen in her fuzzy slippers. "Not wearing shoes today?" He chuckled as he watched little skulls bob on Kairi's feet.

Kairi looked down at her feet before giving Uta a large smile. "It's Saturday. Plus I'm getting Yuki-chan used to prepping in the morning. So I get to be up early to supervise her, then I can putter along on the menu for Anteiku." She smiled as she poured herself some coffee and took in a deep breath of it. "Want some coffee?"

Uta shook his head. "I'm going to go try and get some sleep. I'll see you later." Uta waved as he backed up and headed down the stairs. The smell of coffee and Kairi following him down. 'She's out of my reach.'

* * *

Alright, shorter than the last one, but it's all set up for the rest of the story. So please let me know what you think of the story so far.

And yes I am changing things a bit from canon. It just makes sense to me that they would all share a building, and Kairi is very persuasive.


	4. Cooking Lessons

I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.

Once again, please don't try and recreate any of the food. I know there are some crazy people like that, so please don't.

* * *

Kairi smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror. Yesterday she had given the key to the cafe to Yuki and had moved into a room at Anteiku. Today was her first day working, and she quite enjoyed the uniform. "Alright, let's see what we have to work with."

Kairi left her room and headed downstairs. She found Kaneki and Touka standing behind the counter waiting. Koma and Irimi were also behind the counter, but they were much more relaxed. Yoshimaru was also behind the counter, but he was cleaning cups. All in all, it was very quiet.

"Is this a cafe or funeral home?" Kairi asked as she crossed her arms. Irimi and Koma chuckled end while the other two just stared at her. "I know you both are dressed up all nice, but loosen up. You both are in college, the time of your lives, so live." They both relaxed a little, but not by much.

"Perhaps we can review the menu you have brought us?" Yoshimaru suggested as he set down the glass he had cleaned.

Kairi nodded as she pulled the menu she had come up with out of her pocket. "I've got 15 items, perfect for your little cafe. They include drinks, and small food items." She passed them the menu to look at. "And don't worry, by the time I leave you all will know how to make everything."

"And we can eat it all?" Kaneki asked as he looked at the menu. There were pies, scones, and even cake listed on the menu. "There's bubble-tea on here." He pointed out the odd item on the list.

Kairi giggled as the others questioned what that was. "Normally it is a thinned out smoothie with tapioca pearls in it. Mine however is much more acquainted to your dietary needs."

"Wait, you're not a Ghoul?" Kaneki asked in confusion. He had honestly thought the woman was a Ghoul. One of the most normal and human-like ones, but still a Ghoul.

This time everyone shared in a small chuckle, while Kairi sighed. "I get that a lot. No, I'm human." Kaneki just looked at her in even more confusion. "A lot of my friends are Ghouls. Plus everyone that works at my shop are Ghouls. And my cafe is the only one with food both humans and Ghouls can eat."

"How?" Kaneki asked wondering what she put into her food.

Kairi shrugged as she got the menu back from Koma. "I'll show you. I brought enough stuff to make each item once. Then have enough left over for you all to compare to when we start prep-training." Kairi led the way to the back of the cafe. "Shouldn't someone be out front?"

"We haven't opened yet." Yoshimaru stated with a smile. Getting angered looks from Touka, Koma, and Irimi.

Kairi just nodded as she walked over to the freezer and pulled it open. "Alright, one thing to note about the ingredients, they spoil easily. So if you aren't using it, put it back in the freezer." She grabbed a large bag and a container. "Alright. This big bag labeled flour, it's the flour. Once we start cooking you will have recipes to follow. Follow them exactly. There is a difference between flour and starch."

She quickly measured out three cups of the flour. "Touka, please put the flour back. And can you grab me the container labeled honey?" She opened the container and scooped out two spoonfuls of a clear jelly. "This is the eggs." She shut the lid and swapped containers with Touka. "Kaneki, grab me the bottle labeled white oil. And Koma, preheat the oven to 350 please."

They continued to work and bake till they have a loaf of bread rising on top of the oven. "So, how long will this take?" Kaneki asked as he looked at the loaf. The bread looked more like a cake loaf.

"About an hour to rise and an hour to bake." Kairi stated as she helped Irimi clean up. "I usually do all of this at around 5 in the morning. And it's usually 10 to 20 loaves." She chuckled as she saw all of their shocked faces. "Why don't we make a drink while we wait? The starch balls take a minute to make. Then the actual drink is rather simple."

"Do you want me to get the starch?" Touka asked while walking to the freezer.

"Not yet." Kairi said as she dried her hands. "Let's make coffee flavored tapioca balls. Koma, can you make us a cup of coffee?"

"Just a cup?" Koma chuckled as he grabbed a measuring cup.

"What kind of smoothie?" Kaneki asked curiously. The only things he drank were water and coffee.

Kairi paused as she thought for a moment. "Probably something light, seeing as how we are adding coffee starch balls to it." She paused wondering what had Kenaki so on edge about food. "Hey Irimi, come give me your opinion." She asked the girl beside her as she walked over to the freezer. Once Irimi joined her and they had the freezer blocking them her face went serious. "What's up with Kaneki-kun? It's like he doesn't want to eat."

Irimi paused for a moment before letting out a sigh. "I don't know if Yoshimaru-san is planning on telling you, but Kaneki-kun isn't exactly a Ghoul." Kairi gave the girl a confused look. "He used to be human, even came here once. But then he was in an accident and almost died. To save his life, a doctor transplanted organs form another victim into him. It just so happened that the other victim was a Ghoul."

"And he's still alive?" Kairi peaked out for behind the door and looked at Kaneki. The boy looked healthy enough, just a bit on the skinny side. "That's a miracle. So why doesn't he eat?"

Irimi let out a huff as she scratched the back of her head. "Something about not wanting to eat humans. But he can't eat human food, so he's stuck with our diet."

"That explains why he looked so happy when he had his burger." Kairi mused as she looked around the ingredients in the freezer. "Then it might be best if he isn't involved in prepping the ingredients. Otherwise he will never eat anything." The two girls chuckled as they continued to look around. "How about brain smoothie? If I add in enough eye gelatin it should keep the right temperature to avoid any strong flavor from coming out."

"Yeah, but I don't think grey is an appetizing color." Irimi commented as she looked around. "You could just do eyes?"

"Yeah, but then it gets too slimy. Unless I thicken it with starch." Kairi stated as she grabbed a container of unharmed eyeballs. "But I will have to make sure the eyes are all one color. That way when I add dye the irises won't stand out."

Irimi shook her head as Kairi grabbed another container to put some eyes into. "It still amazes me what you can do with all of this. And the fact that other humans can't tell what they are eating."

"Humans are rather dumb that way." Kairi laughed as she kept picking out eyeballs. "And it looks like it's going to be a chocolate looking smoothie."

"Never had chocolate." Irimi joked as she grabbed the starch from the shelf. "Do we need anything else?"

"Can you grab the box of food dye?" Kairi waited till the other girl was out of the freezer before closing it. "The only other thing I need is water and ice."

"I'll grab the ice." Kaneki offered as he went to the fridge that was solely for ice. He grabbed a bag and set it on the counter beside the large blender they had. "So what smoothie are we having?"

"Chocolate and coffee." Kairi replied as she grabbed her bowl and other things to make everything. "Koma-kun, is the coffee ready?"

"Just finished." Koma replied as he came in with a cup of brewed coffee. "So, how are we doing this?"

"Kaneki-kun, can you get a pot of water boiling, no salt in it. Irimi, can you blend the smoothie?" Kairi measured out a cup of starch. "I'm still going to need this. Koma, add the coffee!" She cheered as the man poured the coffee into the starch. "Perfect. Touka, start mixing." She handed the girl a spoon and showed her how to mix it. "Alright, Yoshimaru-san, do you have a large holed strainer?"

"I have something that might work." Yoshimaru opened a cupboard and pulled out a flat board with holes in it. "Will this work?"

"Perfectly." Kairi took the board from him and looked at it curiously. "What is it?" All she got was a knowing smile from the man. "Thank you. Touka, how's stirring?"

"It's very easy." Touka replied as she stirred the runny mixture. It got a bit harder to mix as Kairi added another cup of starch to it. "How thick does it need to be?"

"Not that thick." Kairi took over mixing to see how it was doing. "Great job. Kaneki, how's the water? Touka, grab the board and the large round cutter."

"Boiling." Kaneki replied. He moved out of the way as Kairi walked over with Touka and the board. "So, how are we going to make balls?"

"Easily. We are going to place the cutter on the board like this." She placed it down and moved it around to see if it would work, and it did. "Now we are going to add the batter, then move it around so it cuts it off." Kairi passed Kaneki the bowl of coffee colored mix. "Pour some in please."

They all watched as little balls fell into the boiling water. They were finished making balls when they ran out of the mix. Then Kairi stirred them around to make sure they didn't stick.

"How long do they boil for?" Touka frowned as she looked at the dark balls floating in the pot.

"Not long." Kairi said as she placed a large bowl of cold water on the counter. "Now we get the fun part of scooping them out." She pulled out two strainers and passed them to Touka and Kaneki. "I'll leave that to you two. Irimi-chan, how's the smoothies coming?"

"I think I have the right consistency." Irimi frowned as she swirled the smoothie around. "What do you think?"

Kairi took a look and knew it was too slimy. "Needs more starch. It's back in the freezer." As Irimi went off to the freezer, Kairi added more brown food dye. It had a very faint chocolate color to it. Irimi came back with the starch and a scoop. "Thank you." Kairi added a scoop of starch and blended the smoothie. It took about another scoop and a half before it was right.

"We got all of the balls." Touka announced as her and Kaneki looked at them in the bowl of cold water. "Do we add them to the blender?"

"No, they go in the bottom of the cup." Kairi stated as she brought the smoothie over to the same counter as the starch balls. "Koma-kun, six cups please." She scooped out a few spoonfuls of starch balls into each cup before topping them off with the 'chocolate' smoothie. "Enjoy!" She smiled as everyone sipped on their bubble-tea.

"Oh!" Touka said as she chewed on a starch ball. "These are good. They're weird, but good."

"Thank you. The normal tea for humans is weird to." Kairi giggled as she saw Kaneki in his own little world as he drank his tea. She looked past Irimi and smiled. "The bread is almost ready to bake."

"In that case, perhaps it is time to open." Yoshimaru stated as he set down his empty cup. "Thank you, Shimoto-san. I am looking forward to adding your items to the menu."

"I'm hoping you also replace a few things." Kairi chuckled as she followed everyone out to the front to open up shop. "No offence, but your sandwiches are terrible." She chuckled as everyone else agreed, but for different reasons.

"Noted." Yoshimaru commented as he walked over to the door and flipped the sign over. "Work hard everyone."

"Yer Sir!" Everyone spoke in reply.

* * *

After a few hours of working Kairi was pretty used to the dynamics of the staff. Kaneki was obviously the trainee and Touka was training him. Koma and Irimi were just watching from the bar. And Yoshimaru watched them all from behind the counter. And Kairi fit in just fine serving everyone.

"Welcome." Kairi greeted the next customer with a smile. His blue hair and expensive clothes stood out in her mind. "Is it just yourself today?" She asked with a smile on her face.

The man smiled as he tilted her chin up. "Aren't you delightful?" He playfully teased before sitting down and watching her. "Won't you join me?"

Kairi stared at the man with a small frown. "Get out." Kairi jumped a bit as Touka growled at the blue haired man. "We don't want you here, Gourmet." Kairi nodded as she realized he was a Ghoul.

"My, My, what bad service." The Gourmet Ghoul stated while playing with the napkin at his seat. "I do believe this lovely young lady was serving me. So back off, Bunny."

Kairi giggled behind her hand as Touka began turning red. "Touka-chan, I will take care of our customer. Can you go get me some bread?" She sent the girl off to the kitchen before she caught a scene. As she watched Touka leave, she spotted Kaneki hiding behind the counter. "It seems you made quite an impression on those two, Gourmet-san."

The Ghoul nodded with a frown. "It's sad, Kaneki smells so delectable." He chuckled at the shocked look the woman was giving him. "Cannibalism isn't just for the humans. Now tell me, who are you? I don't think I've ever seen you around. And you smell quite delicious yourself." He gave her a wink.

Kairi shook her head at the man's obvious flirting. "I actually live in 4th ward. Yoshimaru-san asked for my help." She kept an eye on the ghoul as Touka set a basket with a few pieces of bread in it. "Thank you Touka-chan." The man just stared at the bread in confusion. "Anteiku is trying out a new menu, please try it."

The man looked from the bread back to the woman. "Alright." He picked up a piece and carefully nibbled off a corner. He was about to swallow without tasting, but he did taste it. "This..." He stared at the bread as he chewed the piece he had in his mouth. "This is amazing!" He stood up and shouted to the ceiling. "Who made this delicious piece of heaven?"

"Um...I did?" Kairi wondered if she should have even told him that. He was obviously one of the crazy Ghouls, but everyone was a little crazy. She was stunned the next moment as the man knelt down in front of her. "Um...what are you doing?"

"I'm declaring my undying love for you." The woman just stared at him. "My mouth has never been graced by such a rarity as your bread. For such a human looking food to be so delicious, it's extraordinary what your hands can do." He stood and pulled the beautiful Goddess of Food into his arms. "Please, be mine forever."

Kairi was stunned as her brain caught up with what the man was saying. The ringing of the doorbell snapped her back into the present. "Tsukiyama, get your hands off of her." Kairi looked past the Gourmet and found Yomo glaring at his back. "Or I'll take them off myself." Yomo glared at the blue haired Ghoul as he walked towards them.

Tsukiyama released Kairi and took a step back. "I see, this goddess is already taken. Then I shall just have to settle for watching her from afar." He sat back down in his seat and stared up at Kairi with dreamy eyes.

Kairi turned away from Tsukiyama with a confused face. "Thank you, Yomo-kun. What brings you around?"

"Just checking in on you." Yomo ushered Kairi further away from the Gourmet. "Be careful around him. He doesn't care about anything except delicious food."

"Then I should be sticking around for a while." Kairi giggled as she looked over to find the blue haired ghoul cherishing the bread on his table. "So what brings you around? Is everyone alright?"

Yomo shook his head with a smile. "You really have no regard for your own safety do you?"

"All of my friends are ghouls. I think the answer is quite obvious." Kairi giggled as she walked around Yomo to collect an order for a customer. "And tell Uta and Itori to come by some time. They both need to get more fresh air."

"Kairi-chan, you have a call." Kairi set the food down and looked back at Koma. He was holding up the phone for her. She quickly walked over and took the receiver. "Woudn't say who he was."

Kairi frowned as she put the receiver to her ear. "Hello, Shimoto Kairi speaking."

Kairi waited for a few minutes as the speaker on the other end cleared his throat. "Hello, Shimoto-san. I don't know if you remember me, but-"

"You're taking too long." An older sounding gentleman spoke over the other as he took the phone. "Hello Kairi-chan, it's Mado-ji."

"Mado-ji!" Kairi perked up as she held the phone and walked around the corner. "It's been so long. How did you know where I was?"

"Takashi-san said he saw you back in 4th ward." Mado spoke happily with one of his old partner's daughter. "Mentioned how the owner of a cafe in 20th ward was also there. So I guessed he might have been there asking for your help. Your food is the best after all."

Kairi froze remembering how great Mado was at putting things together. "Wow, all of that just from two piece of information. You certainly haven't lost your touch." She laughed with Mado as she remembered he was a bit older than her own parents. "How have you been?"

"I've been good. Working mostly. I've been trying to find the ghouls that killed your parents." Kairi waited patiently as Mado continued to talk. "As well as the ones that kidnapped you. Are you sure you don't remember seeing his face?"

* * *

~Flashback~

"I'm home!" Kairi called out into the large house. It had been 3 years since her parents had been killed. She still lived in the same house, went to the same school, and pretty much lived the same life. "Uta-kun, Yomo-kun?" But now she had roommates.

"Kitchen." Kairi looked over and saw the two boys drinking coffee. "Have fun at school?" Yomo teased the girl as she joined them.

"It was the closing ceremony. Of course I had fun." Kairi accepted a cup of coffee from Uta. "And I saw you two in the rafters. Thanks for coming."

"Wouldn't miss our little Kairi-chan graduating from high school." Uta chuckled as he ruffled Kairi's hair. "Your hair's gotten longer."

Kairi huffed as she continued to drink her coffee. "No thanks to you knotting it up and pulling it out." She gave Uta a glare while he just laughed. "Yours is getting long too." She tugged on a piece of long black hair that had fallen into Uta's face. "Black hair really does suit you."

Uta shrugged as he put his empty cup in the sink. "I'm going out. I'll be back before tonight."

Kairi watched as Uta left with a wave. She knew where he was going, there wasn't any food for the two ghouls in her house. She looked down at her coffee with a sad look. "It's not fair." Yomo looked up from his own cup as Kairi spoke softly. "All I want is for all of us to be able to have one meal together."

Yomo sighed as he set his cup down. He walked up to Kairi and pulled her into a hug as she began to cry softly. "I know, but somethings will just never happen. No matter how much we want it." He held her until she stopped crying. He pushed her away and wiped the tears from her face. "Now then, I have to go to work, and you need to make yourself dinner. Make sure to lock the doors." He kissed her forehead before leaving her to her cooking.

Kairi smiled as she watched Yomo leave to go to work. This was their usual routine, sad feelings included. 'We live in such different worlds. Yet we live under the same roof.' Kairi thought to herself as she began making herself dinner. Nothing special, just a simple curry and some rice.

The next day Kairi woke up at her usual time. Since she woke up for school everyday, her body was just used to waking up at 6:30 in the morning. She sighed as she got up to start her day. She got into the kitchen and started coffee. She yawned as she pulled the fridge open and found a bowl of eyeballs staring back at her. "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"

"Kairi! What happened?" Yomo and Uta slid into the kitchen from after running down the hall and leaping down the stairs. They paused as all they saw was Kairi sitting on the floor in front of the fridge. "Kairi-chan?" Yomo asked curiously. It didn't look like there was any threat.

Both men jumped as the fridge door was suddenly slammed shut. Kairi looked over at them and glared. "How many times have I told you to put your things in the other fridge?!" She yelled at them as she got up from the floor. "I can't have body parts in the fridge with my food!"

"It's just eyes." Uta defended with a shrug. "They're packed up."

"In a bowl I eat cereal out of!" Kairi shouted at them both. "It's as hazardous to my health as it is yours. Lucky for you though you have a better immune system."

"I'm sorry I got tired and just put them away. Don't make such a big deal out of it." Uta narrowed his eyes as he crossed his arms. "And you're the one that made friends with ghouls."

"You're the one living in my house." Kairi wished she had taken the words back the moment she said them. But she wasn't taking them back. Silence filled the air between the three of them.

"I'm going to work." Yomo stated as he headed back up the stairs. Kairi had a point, they were putting her life in danger just by living with her. And he cared for her enough to know that that wasn't right.

Uta watched Kairi carefully, he could see guilt in her features, but no sign of taking back her words. "I guess that's it then." He turned and walked to the front door. "See you around, Shimoto-chan."

Kairi cringed as the door was closed forcefully. She leaned back against the counter as the coffee continued to brew on the counter. After another 10 minutes Yomo left as well, waving goodbye as he walked out the door. The house was deathly silent now that it was just the human.

Kairi passed her day in a daze. Not really remembering what she had done. But one thing she did remember was that neither of the boys had come back. Not even when she locked the door at 10. And certainly not when she woke up at 3 with a nightmare.

Kairi jumped out of bed once she had fully woken up form her nightmare. She could still feel those hands on her. She may not remember the name of the ghoul that killed her parents, but she knew his face and his hands.

She turned on her lights and started getting dressed for the day. ' _Might as well start._ ' Kairi paused when her hands brushed against her prom dress. She had never actually gotten to wear it, she had gotten sick the day of the dance. ' _What the hell._ ' She stated as she pulled the dress on.

Kairi pulled the red dress on and smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror. Turning around she glared at the corset back. "I will not be denied." So she determinedly started lacing up the back. It took her a good two hours, but in the end she had done it.

Taking another hour to do her hair and makeup brought her to the front of her mirror once more. The fitted top and satin ball gown looked spectacular in the deep crimson. Then her black sparkling heels added a nice touch, and enough height to not step on the skirt. Kairi smiled as she looked at herself. She froze as her eyes caught sight of something on her bedside table.

Kairi walked over and gently picked up the mask Uta had made her. She walked back over to her dresser and found a piece of red ribbon to replace the tattered black ribbon that had broken a few weeks ago. She smiled as she tugged on the ribbon to make sure it was in place before she tied it on over her face. Her smile turned into a smirk as she caught sight of herself in the mirror.

"Aren't you a sight?" Kairi spun around at the sound of someone else. It did not sound like Uta or Yomo. "Even lovelier from the front." The ghoul had a mask that looked like a cat. "Won't you come with me, Black Widow?"

Kairi froze as he used her mask name, not many people had seen her. "How-"

"How did I know?" The man chuckled as he walked closer towards her. "His Majesty knew that No-Face and Raven were close to Black Widow. And No-Face and Raven have been seen coming and going from this house for a while now. So it's not hard to guess that Black Widow lives here."

Kairi mentally cursed herself for being careless, as well as cursing Yomo and Uta. "So what, you going to kill me?" Kairi's eyes shifted to her bed, Scarlet Fang was just under it.

"Nope." The ghoul chuckled as the human tilted her head at him. "His Majesty wants to speak with you first."

"Well I'm not-" Kairi stopped speaking when the other ghoul picked her up bridal style. "Hey!" She called again as the man threw open her balcony door and walked out. "You can't just-" Kairi was cut off again as the ghoul leapt into the air and started running across rooftops.

After a solid hour of running, the man stopped on the balcony of a very regal looking manor house just outside of town. Kairi was set down on her feet. "You should fix your hair, Black Widow." Kairi did just that, luckily it wasn't too bad. "Now you get to meet the King."

"Who's the 'King'?" Kairi asked as she followed the ghoul through the house. She was kind of grateful she was dressed as she was. "And who are you?"

The man stopped abruptly. "Sorry, I seem to have forgotten my manners." The ghoul took off the cat mask and gave Kairi a small bow. "The name is Fijimora Kojuro. I am a servant of His Majesty, Kyokai Shinji. But while I wear my mask, I am Cat."

"Cat? Do they comment on what the cat drags in a lot?" Kairi giggled at her little joke. She noticed Fijimora did not look impressed. "I'm sorry, Fijimora-san. Why does his Majesty want to see me?"

"Because you are close to No-Face." Fijimora continued their walk down the hall. "No-Face is a core member of The Clowns. And they have been a thorn in our side for as long as we have existed." He came to a stop in front of the doors to the main dining hall. "You will be joining His Grace for dinner. You are not expected to eat anything."

"I am not hungry." Kairi stated calmly, she didn't know if they knew she was human. But she had a feeling they did.

"Very well." The man stated before he knocked on the large door. "Only speak when spoken to, and do as you are told. His Majesty does not tolerate shenanigans." Kairi giggled at the sound of the man saying shenanigans, but was silenced as a knock sounded form the other side. "He is ready for you."

Kairi stood tall as the large doors were pulled open. Inside of the room she found a large table. At the table was one man sitting and eating food. A large chandelier hung above the table, illuminating his features. His golden hair was tied back and his clothes looked like they were made of black silk. Kairi found herself stunned at the beauty of it all.

"So, you are the Black Widow." The man's voice pulled Kairi back to the present. "I must say, I can see why No-Face would keep you around." The man chuckled at his own inner joke. "Come have a seat, there is much I wish to discuss with you."

Kairi walked to the seat beside Kyokai as calmly as she could. She sat down and waited as the man ate another bite of food. She couldn't tell what it was, but judging by his visible kakugan, it was probably some piece of a human.

The man wiped his mouth with a napkin before he turned his attention back to Kairi. "Now then, let us discuss business." He pushed his chair back and offered Kairi a hand. She took it and followed him out of the room with her arm wrapped around his. "I am sure you are aware of what No-Face is up to."

"I am not." Kairi stated as firmly as she could. "I have not spoken with him in the past 24 hours."

"Ah." The man dropped her arm and walked over to a large fireplace in the room they had walked into. "So then you have no information that I desire?" He watched the woman as her body tensed. "You do realise what that means, don't you? It means I have no use for you, but as a warning to No-Face and his Clowns."

"You claim they are a thorn in your side?" Kairi looked up at the man's face, finding strength behind her mask. "So why give them reason to interfere more?" She frowned as Kyokai laughed loudly at her statement. "Am I amusing you?"

"Quite." Shinji stated as he walked over to a bookshelf that housed a collection of liquor bottles. "You are a very interesting character, Black Widow." He poured two glasses and brought them over to his guest. "Most humans would be cowering and quivering at the thought of dying. But you? You bite back." He took a drink as he passed the other glass off to the lady in red.

"So you know?" Kairi took a tentative sip of her drink. She wasn't much into drinking, but it was growing on her. "Your staff acts otherwise."

"They understand that some ghouls prefer it if people acknowledge them as beings and not either ghoul or human." Shinji tilted his head as he examined Kairi more closely. "That fight you have in you, is it why No-Face has kept you alive? Or is it other things?"

Kairi blushed at what the man was implying. "We are friends. He finds me interesting and entertaining. But it seems that has run it's course." She swirled the amber liquid in her glass around. "But some part of me hopes to see him again."

"Why?" He asked as he watched the heartbroken woman before him fade a little. "What wish do you hold onto?"

Kairi laughed a little as one wish came to mind. "I want to someday eat a meal together. Something that we can both eat and enjoy together." She shook her head as. A surprised look came over Fijimora's face. "But it's just a silly dream."

"Maybe." Shinji stated as he set his glass down on a table. "But maybe not. Do you cook?" He got a nod from the woman as she turned her head to look at him. "What if I could help you? Get you the ingredients you need."

Kairi frowned as she thought of the man's offer. "It would be just bodies. Bodies and the various drinks you can consume." She set her glass down as she thought about this more. "Bodies have fats and starches in them. And I'm sure other parts would be substitutes for others." She looked over at Kyokai with hope. "I think I can make it work."

"Good." Shinji said before he took her arm once more. "So, I will provide you with the bodies and everything else. You will stay here and test out your theories and ideas. The Help will test out your creations. And don't worry, there is both ghoul and human Help." He smiled as he led the woman up a flight of stairs. "Now, all that is left is the final detail."

"Final detail?" Kairi asked as they reached the top of the stairs. She froze when she noticed Kyokai lean down close to her.

Shinji smirked as the woman froze under his gaze. "Once your little experiment is over, you will be mine. And depending on what I think of you by the end of all of this, you will either die or live." As he let the words sink in he pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "Fijimora, escort Shimoto-san to her new room. She must be tired."

Kairi followed the butler down the hall to a large room. The man gave her another bow before he shut the door. Kairi sat down on the bed and stared at the ground. Her hands were shaking as she removed her mask. Tears fell onto her dress and her mind came to realize what had happened to her. "I'm sorry Uta-kun, Yomo-kun, I'm not coming home."

She didn't know when she had fallen asleep, just that she was woken up by sunlight hitting her face. She sat up and rubbed sleep from her eyes. The room looked just as it had before she had fallen asleep.

"Guess I should clean myself up." She got up from the bed and walked over to one of the other doors in her room. She pulled it open and was stunned to find it was a closet. And judging by how much there looked to be in it, it was probably as big as her bedroom. "Wonder how much of it even fits."

"All of it should." Kairi jumped at the sound of another voice in the room. She spun and found a girl smiling at her. "Good morning Shimoto-sama. My name is Ino, I'll be helping you dress and bathe. Just think of me as your personal Helper." Ino gave her lady a smile to try and calm her.

Kairi took a deep breath as she calmed her rapidly beating heart. "Alright, thank you Ino, but I can take care of that myself."

"But His Majesty specifically told us to attend to you. You are his Queen after all." Ino explained happily.

"His Queen?" Kairi questioned out loud. ' _Had I agreed to that?_ '

"Yes. Now we should get you bathed. His Majesty is expecting you for brunch. And he requested you keep your mask removed. He wishes to see your face. But if ever there is a guest you are allowed to wear it." Ino gently took her lady's hand and escorted her to the bathroom.

Kairi let the girl do as she was told. And soon she was in a red and cream dress with her hair braided out of her face. She followed the girl down towards the dining room.

In the dining room, the table was covered in a variety of foods and drinks. And beside the table was Kyokai Shinji. "Did you sleep well?" Shinji asked Kairi as he kissed her knuckles. "I must say, you have quite the lovely face hidden behind that mask."

"I slept well, thank you Kyokai-sama." Kairi replied with a small smile.

Shinji tutted softly. "Try another name for me. That one sounds too formal coming from you."

Kairi frowned slightly. "Shinji-sama?"

Shinji smiled as he kissed her knuckles once more. "Much better, my little Ojou-chan." He led her over to her seat and sat her down before taking his own seat. "I have a kitchen all set up for you. There are even bodies for you to start with."

"Thank you, Shinji-sama." Kairi replied as she added a few foods onto her plate. They both ate in silence. Kairi found herself very grateful that she had studied etiquette as an elective in school. She never thought it would have actually come in handy.

"If you are finished, you may head down to your kitchen and begin." Shinji said as he stood from the table. "I will be in my study."

Kairi stood as Kyokai-sama left the dining hall. Ino was by her side and offering to show her to the kitchen once Kyokai had left the room.

"This is the secondary kitchen." Ino opened the door and let Kairi into the shiny new kitchen. "And this is the freezer." Ino pulled open a large stainless steel door. "And if ever you need any more bodies, just let either myself or Fijimora-san know."

Kairi nodded as she looked at the four hanging bodies in the freezer. She looked down at her clothes with a frown. "I'm going to change before I start."

"Alright. There is a room attached to the kitchen where you can clean up after words." Ino led her over to another door and pulled it open. Inside was a small room with a sink, shower, bath, toilet, and curtained off area. "I will go and get you clothes to work in."

"Thank you Ino-chan." Kairi thanked the girl as she headed off to find clothes. Kairi looked around the kitchen. "I guess this is where it all gets decided." She gripped her shaking hands tightly. "I'm going to get out of here. And some day we will have our meal together." She smiled thinking how great it would be.

* * *

It took about 4 weeks before Kairi actually started cooking. She started simple, a loaf of bread. "Okay, I need something to replace the flour, let's try the starch I dried out." She pulled out the bag of starch from the freezer and added 3 cups of it. "Now something to replace the eggs, milk, and honey." Kairi walked back into her freezer to look at her ingredients. "Milk is easy, eggs...I guess I could use the inside of eyes, and honey...what to use for honey?"

"Try the mucus." Kairi looked over her shoulder as another voice entered her kitchen. Shinji looked around the clean kitchen as the woman gathered her ingredients and traveled back to her mixer. "I see you were able to make quite a few ingredients."

Kairi nodded as she measured out her ingredients. "It took a while for some of them to become usable, but I will be able to make do with what I have. Thank you, Shinji-sama."

Shinji nodded as he took a seat on the counter to watch her. He had come by a few times before. But this was the first time seeing her cook. All of the other times she had been preparing ingredients. It had been interesting to see a human treating a corpse as though it was just another source of resources.

Kairi moved around at her own pace. She got all of her ingredients mixed in and started the mixer. "Oh dear, what to use instead of yeast?" She frowned as she walked back over to her freezer to try and find something. Her eyes lit up as she came across her bucket of glands. "Let's see what we have here." She started going through the organs with a calculating frown. "Something that will multiply."

"Try looking in the intestines." Shinji suggested.

Kairi nodded as she moved to her bucket of intestines. She was happy to find a building culture at the bottom of the bucket. "Perfect." She went back into the kitchen and grabbed a spoon. "How did you know?"

Shinji just shrugged as he watched her work. "I studied human biology in university."

"Wow, that's amazing." Kairi finished adding the final ingredient. She grabbed a small bread pan from a cupboard and set in on an oven as she preheated it. "Now to grease the pan." Shinji continued to watch as she prepared the pan and poured the dough into it. "Now it just needs to rise. And hopefully it will."

Shinji got off of the counter and walked up behind Kairi. "I'm sure it will." He twirled a piece of her black hair in his hand before smelling it. "How do you always smell so delightful?"

Kairi felt her cheeks heat up as she gathered her things to clean them up. "I bathe?" She offered as an explanation as she moved away from Kyokai, but he just followed her. "Do you need something, Shinji-sama?"

Shinji waited till she set everything down before spinning her around and pinning her to the counter with his hips. "Yes there is. I need another taste." He leaned down over her as one of his hands kept her head in place while the other supported himself on the counter.

Kairi was surprised by the sudden situation, and stunned as Kyokai's lips covered hers. It wasn't forceful, but there was a sense of needing behind it. He needed her, unlike Uta and Yomo. They had left without even a word of coming back. And in the 4 weeks she had been staying in Shinji's mansion, they had never come looking for her. She found her eyes closing as she responded to Shinji's kiss.

Shinji slowly pulled away from Kairi, her cheeks were rosie and breathing heavy. "You look much cuter like this." He smiled as he placed a soft kiss on her brow. "I will never leave you, Kairi. And I will always cherish you." He leaned his forehead against hers, pulling her into his arms. "Please, tell me their names."

Kairi paused as she took a deep breath to calm herself. Part of her just wanted to stay in Shinji's arms, but the larger part knew something was not right. "I can't. I'm sorry Shinji-sama, but I can't."

Shinji sighed as he pulled away from the woman. He wiped a tear off of her cheek. Then slapped her across the face. Kairi fell to the ground holding her stinging cheek. "Maybe you should rethink what you can and can't do." He walked out of the kitchen without looking back at the woman sitting on the floor.

Kairi curled up in a ball on the floor. She didn't know what to do. If she stayed, she would probably die. If she left, they would hunt her down and kill her. And if she wanted to live, she would have to give up her only two friends in the world. "I'm scared." She whispered to herself.

She stayed on the ground for a while, but eventually got up to see how her bread had turned out. It had risen enough that Kairi felt confident it would make a decent sized loaf. So into the oven it went and Kairi sat to watch how the bread cooked and how long it took to bake.

After an hour of baking, the loaf looked golden and had a firm crust on it. So Kairi pulled it out of the oven and popped it out of the pan to cool on a rack. "Smells like a normal loaf of bread." Kairi mused as she looked at her loaf. She had thought it would turn out terrible, but it was actually turning out rather well. "Guess the only thing left to do is taste it."

"Do you require any assistance." Kairi looked over as Fijimora-san entered the kitchen. "I must say, that smells exquisite." He looked at the normal looking loaf of bread that the smell was coming from. "Shall I get some tasters?"

"Just a ghoul. I need to know how it tastes and the texture of it myself." Kairi mused as she picked up a bread knife and cut off the end. The inside was soft and warm. "Looks good so far." she mused as she cut off another piece.

"Would you mind if I was your tester? His Majesty has no need of me for the next few hours." Fijimora stated as he gazed curiously at the piece of bread on the cooling rack.

"If you want to." Kairi picked up the end piece and looked at it. She knew what it was made of, but it honestly didn't look any different than a loaf of bread she made at home. "Enjoy." She tapped the end of her bread with Fijimora's before she took a bite. She waited for some sort of gag reflex to kick in, but none came. Instead her mouth watered at the yummy taste. "This is amazing. The texture is a bit off. It melts too easily when it comes into contact with moisture. What do you think Fijimora-san?"

Kojuro was staring in awe at the bread in his hand. He had handled human food before, since some of the staff was human, but this was amazing. It was edible and the texture was almost perfect. "It is a bit too soft, but the taste if magnificent. Thank you Ojou-sama." He gave the woman a bow as he set the bread down.

Kairi smiled at the praise she had gotten, she had finally made soemthing a ghoul could eat. "I think I know how to fix this. Do you know how to grind bone into a flour?" She asked hopefully while thinking of the pile of bones she had in the freezer. She hadn't wanted to waste a single possible ingredient, so she had put them away as well.

Kojuro frowned as he thought of what she could do. "I could inquire about getting something that could do that. But what help would that do?"

"Starch is good and all, but adding some dimension is always good." Kairi stated while laying a clothe over the bread. "Thank you for your help, Fijimora-san."

Kojuro gave his lady another bow. "I live to serve, Ojou-sama. His Majesty has requested your presence at dinner tonight. There will be guests attending."

Kairi nodded. "Then tell Ino I will need her help in getting ready." She left the kitchen and walked up to her bedroom. She had learned the layout of the mansion quite easily. Especially since she was allowed to roam as long as she had either Ino or Fijimora-san with her.

"Ojou-sama? You asked for me." Ino said as she entered the room and gave her lady a bow.

"I did." Kairi stated as she walked over to the large bathroom. "Shinji-sama is having guest over for dinner." She started undressing as Ino filled the bath with hot water. "Do I get to pick what I wear?"

Ino shook her head as she prepared the bath. "His Majesty has already chosen your outfit for the evening. Although, by the look of it you will approve of it. It matches your mask." Kairi nodded as she got into the bath and let Ino do her job. "Let's make you presentable, Ojou-sama."

* * *

After several hours of washing and pampering, Kairi found herself standing in front of a mirror. She was in a blood red dress with a black lace layer above it. The lace had a webbed design and a few spiders hidden around it. Kairi had to admit, she did approve of the dress. Especially since it was an A-line skirt instead of a ball gown.

"Ojou-sama, His Majesty wishes for your presence. The guests are arriving." Fijimora's voice called form the other side of the door to Kairi's bedroom.

Kairi placed her mask over her face and tied it tightly. She then walked over to the door and pulled it open. "Then let us not keep him waiting." She strode past Fijimora and towards the main stairs. She waited at the top as she heard Shinji speaking downstairs.

Shinji glance up and spotted Kairi at the top of the stairs. He gave his guests a smile. "It seems my bride has arrived." He walked up the stairs and offered Kairi his hand. She accepted it and glided down the stairs with ease. "You look delightful, Black Widow."

"Delightful is such a human term, Shinji-sama." Kairi mused with a smirk on her lips. She could never explain it, but it felt like she became a different person when she had her mask on. It was her escape from being a weak human among ghouls.

Shinji chuckled as he placed a kiss on her hand as they reached the landing in the middle of the stairs. "Your quite right. Perhaps, decedent?" A loud bang filled the room as the doors flew off of their hinges. "Who dares?"

The room was quiet as a group of five people walked into the room. A few of them were laughing as they kicked debris around. "Knock Knock." A voice said behind a beaked mask with holes. "Mind if we crash the party?"

Kairi froze as the ghoul spoke, she knew that voice. "No-Face?" She whispered silently as she looked around at the rest of the group. Three of the ghouls had clown like masks. The other two resembled birds more. "Raven?" Noticed the other bird mask ghoul was looking up at her.

"So you Clowns decided to drop by uninvited. And on the eve of my engagement party as well." Shinji scuffed while stepping in front of Kairi. "How bold of you." Kairi stepped back as the air around Shinji became cold. "And how foolish."

As one the guests attacked the five Clowns. Shinji turned and dragged Kairi back upstairs by her arm. "Ow!" Kairi complained as he dragged her towards her bedroom. "So you're just going to run away?"

"No, I'm about to do some serious damage." He pushed the door open and glared at Ino. "Leave." The girl left the room without another word and quickly walked down the hall. He shut the door and locked it. "Now to do as I promised."

Kairi frowned when the man walked up to her. She cautiously took a step back, but the man held her in place with his kagune. The black tendrils wrapped around her body and held her firmly. "Let me go." She demanded as the man stepped up close to her.

Shinji just smiled as he ran a hand across her face. "Why would I let someone as precious as you go?" His kagune released her as he pulled her into a kiss, silencing her scream as his other hand gouged into her stomach.

"Get away form her." A low hiss sounded from behind Shinji. He dropped the woman as a flurry of claw kagune threw him at the wall. Uta knelt down beside Kairi, she had fainted from the pain. He growled as he turned his attention on Kyokai. "You will pay for this."

Shinji chuckled as he stood up. "Don't be mad at me, she's the one that threw herself at my feet. She felt abandoned by you and Raven. So she came to me. And she told me-" He stopped as a kagune tore off a piece of his side. He staggered as he clutched the gapping wound in his side.

Yomo glared at the man. "You're lying. Because if Kairi had told you everything, you would know our names. That would have been the first thing she told you." His gaze softened as he looked at Uta pressing a blanket to Kairi's wounded abdomen. "Kairi can do many things, but one thing she does not do is betray her friends."

"She's human." Shinji growled while glaring at the two clowns. "All she is good for is dinner and a show." The three stared at each other as they waited for someone to make a move. The distant sound of sirens distracted them all. "Looks like you're out of time."

"No, you are." Uta collected Kairi in his arms and stood. "You think Yoshimaru can help Kairi?" Yomo gave his friend a nod. "Good. We're done here then." In an instant his kagune sliced across the room, bisecting Shinji. "Let's get the others and leave. And burn the building."

"Uta! Investigators just walked in through the front door." A woman with a clown-like mask ran into the room. "They've got Quinque and already killed Hacchi and Hirako."

Yomo cursed as he looked down the hall. "How do we get out of here?"

"There's a back exit through one of the kitchens." The three looked down as Kairi's eyes cracked open a bit. "Back stairwell, two floors down." They all nodded before running towards the stairs. Kairi smiled as she leaned against Uta. "It's nice to see you both."

"Keep looking." Uta stated as he jumped down the stairs as smoothly as he could. "Don't need you passing out from blood loss." They rounded the corner and found the tidy kitchen, a single loaf of bread on an oven. "Where's the door?"

Kairi pointed at a hall beside the freezer. "There's a loading bay at the end where they unload all of the food before distributing it around the manor." A loud bang was heard above them. "You need to leave."

"Not without you." Yomo stated as he snuck down the hall towards the loading bay. The hall they came out of was hidden from view to the rest of the bay. But there were CCG officers everywhere. "This is going to be tricky. We won't go unseen that's for sure."

"I'll slow you all down." Kairi said while her mind looked for another option. She couldn't see anyone that used to work with her parents.

"We're not leaving you, not again." Uta stated while his hold on Kairi strengthened. "How are we going to do this?"

"Uta stop." Kairi looked up at Uta before she pulled her mask off. "They will realize that one of us is injured. And try to find out who I am. They will find my blood. Then they will question me and get to you. I am not going to do that." She slowly eased herself out of Uta's arms, trying not to throw up or just collapse. "Get yourselves out, I'll get out on my own."

Uta held her up, shaking his head. "You'll die from blood loss if you don't get help." She looked pale as death. "And your organs are almost falling out."

Kairi smirked a she straightened up. "Do you really think I'm scared of dying?"

"If you have a plan, share it." Yomo stated as he watched the CCG officers. He could almost make out an opening they could take.

"I can distract them as well as draw them to me." Kairi looked back down the hall to the kitchen. "And there is something I need to take care of." She took a step away from the trio and down the hall. "Go." She didn't look back as she made her way back to the kitchen. She grabbed the loaf of bread and the clothe that was over it and threw it into the oven. She turned the oven on to 500 degrees and shut the door. She walked over to the freezer and shut it off after she opened the door.

"So you were against us the entire time." Kairi spun around. Ino stood in the doorway, blood covering her arms and legs. "Did you lead them here? The Clowns? The CCG? Did you kill His Majesty?" The girl began crying as she made her way to the bleeding woman. "After everything we've done, you would betray us?" Kairi watched as the girl picked a knife up from the counter and continued to walk towards her. "I'll kill you for it!" Ino cried out as she lunged at Kairi.

Kairi grabbed the girl's wrists and kept the knife away from her. She tripped on the lip of the freezer and fell back. Her grip on Ino never loosened, but Ino was weaker than her. "You're human?" Kairi kicked the girl off of her, clutching her stomach as she tore the flesh around her wound more.

"Yes, I am. But so are you." Ino shouted as she got up to lunge at Kairi with the knife again.

A centipede like object wrapped around Ino, cutting her into pieces where she stood. "My my, what have we here?" A man walked into the kitchen. Smoke was starting to come out of an oven as it shook in it's place. He spotted movement from a woman lying inside of a large freezer. He walked up to the woman and looked down at her. "Seems you certainly-" The man stopped as he got a better look at the girl. "Kairi-chan?"

Kairi frowned as she looked at the man looking down at her. Her vision was hazy, but his grey hair and taunt face was easy to place. "Mado-ji." She felt pressure on her stomach, as well as a wave of nausea. But that soon faded as well as her sense of time, and it all turned black.

* * *

~Flashback end~

"Kairi-chan? Are you alright?" Kairi nodded as she came back to the present. "I'm sorry if I brought something up. Your parents would be proud of you for staying strong through what you've been through. You know, they both wanted to leave their quinque to you. Hoping one day you would follow in their footsteps."

"I'm not meant for the CCG Mado-ji." Kairi said as she leaned against the wall. "Thank you for calling. It was nice to hear from you."

"I will get back your father's Scarlet Fang." Mado said firmly. "It's a promise."

Kairi nodded as she handed the phone back to Koma. "I'm going out. I need some air." She didn't look at anyone as she walked out of the door of the cafe.

* * *

Yay! Long chapter! So much fun to write as well.

Let me know what you thought of the story.


	5. On The Table

I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.

Well, it's rated M for a reason. And it's Tokyo Ghoul, if you know the anime or the manga you should know what to expect. So WARNING.

* * *

Several months passed by before Kairi found herself in front of a very familiar store. "Home." She smiled as she pulled the door open to Haven. "I'm home!" She called out as she walked in. Yuki and Momo were instantly greeting her. There were two other waiters looking on in confusion. "Do we have new little angels?"

"Yep." Yuki smiled as she waved the two over. "This is Sosuke and Satsuki. They're twins."

Kairi smiled as she pulled the two into a hug. She ruffled their brown hair as they looked at her in confusion. "It's nice to meet you both. I'm Shimoto Kairi, I own Haven. Right now I'm helping out at another cafe, but I still come back to check on the place. And it looks like Yuki-chan has been doing very well."

"You taught me well." Yuki laughed as she headed back to the kitchen. "Itori-san and Uta-san are up in the bar."

"Thank you Yuki-chan." Kairi smiled as she walked over to the stairs and jumped up them. She pushed the door open and found Itori sitting on her own. "Hey, Itori." Kairi greeted the woman as she took the stool beside her. "You alone?"

Itori looked on her other side before turning back to her glass of wine/blood. "I am now. Uta just ducked out on me." The red head frown as she looked over at her friend. "What brings you around?"

Kairi shrugged as she reached over the bar and grabbed a bottle of scotch. "Just needed to clear my head. My feet brought me here." She grabbed a glass form under the counter and poured herself a drink. "Seems I need a drink."

"Maybe, but I think it's downstairs." Itori chuckled as Kairi started coughing on her drink. "Go talk to him. He needs a good talking to."

Kairi nodded as she finished off her drink. She opened the door to the back stairs and climbed down. The basement was dark and quiet. "Uta?" Kairi shut the door behind her and took a step in the dark room.

An arm wrapped around her middle and held her in place. "You should be careful." Uta whispered in her ear. Kairi shivered in his hold. "Monsters hide in the dark."

"You're not a monster." Kairi spun around, but Uta had let go of her. "Stop avoiding me."

"I don't want to hurt you." Uta whispered from just ahead of Kairi. "I only cause you pain, monsters cause pain."

Kairi stepped forward and placed her hand on Uta's chest, then another on his cheek. "Everything causes pain. And I don't care-" She was cut off as a pair of soft lips pressed against hers. The single piercing on Uta's lip chilled her bruising lips.

Uta lifted his head just out of Kairi's reach. "I'm addicted to you." He took a deep breath as he held her close to him. "Ever since you asked me to bite you, I can't get the taste of you out of my mind. It's all I want to taste again."

Kairi had hoped for another kiss, but Uta seemed to be moving away again. She grabbed the front of his tank top and pulled him back down. But this off balanced him, and pulled her down with him. Uta caught them both before they hit the floor. "Do you think your the only one suffering?" Kairi kept her hold on Uta's top. "You should already realize this by now, but I have no regard for my life. All I care about is being by your side."

"You might die." Uta stated as he leaned down closer to Kairi. He could see her perfectly in the near darkness, but Kairi was completely blind. "I won't be able to forgive myself if something happens to you."

"A lot has already happened to me." Kairi moved her hands to Uta's hair as his lips met her's once more. Her back touched the cold floor as Uta pressed up against her front. She gasped at the cold, giving Uta's tongue entrance to her mouth. "Mm." She moaned as his hand grazed down her side.

Suddenly the lights were on and a girly squeak was heard. Uta and Kairi looked over to see Itori staring at them. "Sorry, didn't think you two would actually start getting it on." Itori mussed as Kairi blushed and Uta glared at her. "Koma-kun called. They are going out and Yoshimaru is leaving Kairi in charge for the closing shift."

Kairi sighed as she sat up. "Guess I should get back then." She looked over at Uta and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "You should come visit. I'll make you a pie."

"You taste better than pie." Uta pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "But it's the closest thing I have found so far." He chuckled as Kairi blushed and looked away.

Kairi just shook her head as she stood up. "I should have known." She dusted herself off as Uta jumped to his feet. "I should go. I'll come visit when I can."

"Or I'll come visit." Uta leaned down and stole another kiss. "Stay safe."

Kairi nodded as she climbed the stairs back to the main level. She waved goodbye to Yuki and the others before she walked out the door and started the journey back to Anteiku.

* * *

The walk back seemed much shorter. And soon Kairi found herself walking through the front door. "Touka-chan, I'm back-" She stopped as she caught sight of the cafe. Tables were turned over and various chairs were broken. Kairi couldn't see Touka, but Ken looked pretty beaten up. "Who are you?" She demanded at the three ghouls standing in the cafe.

The largest of them looked at her with confusion. "We should be asking you that. The sign said it's closed."

"I work and live here." Kairi kept her eyes on all of the ghouls as they watched her. "Now, get out."

The three men laughed. "I don't think so sweet heart. If you know what's good for you, get out." One of the smaller of the two scoffed.

"Not happening." Kairi said firmly. "I'm in charge of this shift, and your trespassing."

"You're a human." The tall blond behemoth spoke in shock.

Kairi noticed the other two stared at her in shock as well. "Yeah, what of it?" She caught sight of the two smaller men moving. She jumped over one of them while diving under another. At the end of her roll she ended up beside the bar, right by her red briefcase. "Now then," She swung the case forward and smiled as Scarlet Fang unfolded itself. "Get out."

"Hahahahaha!" the blond man started laughing loudly. "Now this is a sight. An investigator living and working with ghouls. So, you know who I am."

"I'm not an investigator. But I've heard about you, Oomori Yakumo, 13th ward's Jason." Kairi spoke as the man grinned at her. "Gecko."

"I'm flattered. Now who are you?" Jason asked as he looked from the scythe to the woman. "I know that weapon, Black Widow uses it. But Black Widow is a ghoul. So what does that make you?"

Kairi spun the scythe around, cutting off the arm of a ghoul trying to sneak up on her. She brought her quinque above her head to block a strike form the other ghoul. But she didn't see Jason's kagune grab her leg. She was thrown across the store and into a corner booth.

Jason chuckled as he walked up to the human. The woman was out cold. He held a hand up as his other guy aimed to kill the woman. "She's coming with us. I want to try something with her." He chuckled as his man picked the woman up along with the one-eyed kid. His raid had been very fruitful.

* * *

Kairi woke up to a swaying motion. Looking around she found herself in some sort of concrete building. She was suddenly dropped onto the floor. "Ow." She grumbled as she shot a glare at the person who had dropped her. Jason just smirked at her.

"This is interesting." Kairi looked over at a throne like structure. There were quite a few ghouls standing around it. "Shimoto Kairi, daughter of two 2nd class investigators. Jason, why did you bring her?"

"She was working with ghouls. Apparently she makes food both ghouls and humans can eat." He chuckled. "Thought maybe I could try something. Don't see why the doc gets to have all of the fun."

Kairi frowned wondering what he was on about. All she really knew about Jason was that mutilated all of his victims terribly. 'Wonder what he has in mind.'

"So she eats people too?" A girl covered in bandages skipped over to Kairi and looked down at her. "She's weird."

"Eto, leave her be." The man sitting on the throne spoke calmly. "Jason, you may-"

"One moment my king." Kairi froze at the smooth voice that sounded behind her. "I have claim on her, she's my betrothed." Kyokai Shinji stepped forward with a smirk on his face. He met Kairi's shocked eyes. "Hello, Kairi. Did you miss me?"

"You? But, you died. I saw you die." Kairi found herself unable to move. "No-face cut you in half."

Shinji chuckled at the woman's bewilderment. "He did, but being cut in half doesn't kill a ghoul. We can put ourselves back together." He knelt down beside her and tilted her chin up. "You look as beautiful as ever."

Kairi turned her head out of Shinji's hand. "Almost dying certainly hasn't changed you at all, Kyokai-sama."

Shinji clicked his tongue as he stood to his full height. "Looks like I will have to teach you all over again." His eyes turned up to the ghoul on the throne. "May I take my bride? She needs to be put back in her place." He held a hand up as Jason moved to speak up. "You can have her once I am done."

"Take her." Kairi stared in shock as her fate was decided. She was then thrown over Shinji's shoulder and carried out of the room.

She finally snapped out of her shock once a door was slammed shut. "Put me down!" She demanded as she pounded her fists on his back. Kairi did not expect to be thrown off of his shoulder and onto a bed. She sat up and glared at Shinji. "I will kill you."

Shinji chuckled as he took off his jacket and threw it over a chair. "You may try, but no human will ever kill me." He walked over to the bed, sighing as Kairi climbed off on the other side. "Get back on the bed."

"No." Kairi took a step back, keeping distance between them but not cornering herself. Her eyes widened as a hand wrapped around her throat. She gripped Shinji's hand as he threw her towards the bed.

"It doesn't have to be hard, or painful." Shinji mussed as he dragged Kairi up onto the bed. "But maybe that's how you like it. Hmm? Do you like being tied down? Beaten? Is that how No-Face likes it?"

Kairi kicked at him, but he just pinned her legs down with his own. "You don't know anything."

Shinji chuckled as he held both of Kairi's hands in one of his. "So, he hasn't touched you?" His grin spread into a smirk as Kairi stilled. "Then this is going to be even better." His free hand came to rest at the top button of Kairi's shirt. "Be sure to scream loudly for me."

* * *

Jason chuckled as he walked down the hall from his observatory. He came up to the room he had asked to be set up for his other pet project. His grin widened when he saw Shinji leaning on the door. "Done already? Had enough after only 10 days?"

Shinji shrugged as he pushed off the wall. "She was entertaining to say the least. Never stopped fighting, even as she came." He chuckled with Jason as the taller man walked up to the swinging doors. "She's still got spirit in her. Try to break her for me."

"Will do." Jason said as he walked into the room. On the table face down, was the woman Shinji had claimed as his. But for the next few hours she would be his. "Hello there, Kairi was it?" He chuckled as the woman began to fight against the restraints.

"I will kill you all." Kairi growled as she watched Jason walk around the table. In the table was a cut out for your face, so all she could see was what came into view under the table.

Jason laughed as he smacked her bare ass. "Kyokai wasn't kidding when he said you still had spirit in you." He walked over to the other door in the room. "Bring the first one in."

Kairi frowned as she saw someone else dragged in and strapped down to the table beside her. She heard tearing then cloth falling to the ground. "What are you doing?" She wondered as Jason walked back over to her.

Jason smiled widely as he picked a scalpel up from the table. "I'm testing your limits, human." With his other hand he picked up a syringe. He got down under the table and stuck the syringe in the ghoul's eye. The man yelled loudly in pain. "Now that that is done, let's get started." Jason brandished the scalpel in front of the two.

Kairi tried moving as the straps were tightened. She heard the ghoul also try to move. "You can't do this! You can't- GAH!" The man shouted as he felt the blade dig into his upper shoulder blades.

Jason smiled as he cut into the ghoul. Slowly but surely, he cut the organ he had been after. "Now to find somewhere to put this." He mused as he turned and marked the spot on Kairi's back with the blood on his hand. "This will do." He declared as he cut into Kairi's back.

Kairi bit her lip as much as she could, but once his scalpel hit her bone, she screamed. Tears streamed down her face as he continued to cut and then place something inside of her body. She was hoarse and sobbing when she felt a needle pricking into her skin.

Jason hummed to himself as he sewed the woman closed. "There, now you have a kagune." He chuckled when he stabbed his scalpel into the ghoul's spine, killing the men. "Bring in the next one."

Kairi breathed heavily as she watched another ghoul get dragged in. This one started fighting once he saw the blood. Or was it a woman, Kairi didn't know. All she knew was Jason was about to do the whole thing all over again.

She whimpered as Jason started cutting into the ghoul beside her. He was working in a lower area than the last one. So she could only guess that he was going to cut into her back in about the same area.

"Your turn." Jason sang as he dug the scalpel into Kairi's lower shoulder blades. The woman's screams renewed themselves. He couldn't even tell that she was hoarse from her previous screaming episode. It was easy to cut enough flesh away to slide the kagune in. He then fit the flesh back together, sewing it in place so it would heal properly. "All done." He patted the red, inflamed area on the woman.

Kairi wished she had passed out already. But some part of her didn't want to. If she passed out, then she wouldn't know what they were doing to her. All she knew was the Jason was putting kagune in her body. How many he was planning on transplanting, she didn't know. She didn't want to.

Another ghoul was brought in and strapped down. Kairi began crying as Jason began working on the ghoul. When he switch to her she just kept crying, her voice gone. "No more screams for me?" Jason asked as he cut into the woman's mid back. "Maybe I've already broken you? Won't Kyokai be happy." Jason laughed as he finished sewing her shut.

As another ghoul was brought it, someone else walked into the room. "How's it going Jason?" Shinji asked as he looked at the bloodstained room. "My oh my. You've been busy." He ran a finger over the three lines of stitches on Kairi's back. "What are you up to?"

"Seeing how she likes being a ghoul." Jason stated as he pulled the fourth and final kagune from it's host. "She already eats people, might as well make her a ghoul." He mused as he set it down and began cutting into the woman. All she did was whimper. "That's all she's been doing now."

Shinji ran a finger down Kairi's arm. "Did he tire you out?"

"...go to hell..." A faint, hoarse whisper came from below the table. Jason just laughed as Shinji glared at the woman.

"She's got balls." Jason stated as he stitching her back together. "I'm surprised you didn't find any."

"Maybe you've lost your touch." Shinji snapped back at the tall man. "Just throw her in a cell when you are done. I'm done with her."

"Harsh. Throwing away a toy so easily. And one as fun as this woman?" Jason just laughed as he watched the regal man leave the room. He slapped the woman's ass again, but not even a twitch came from her. "Did you pass out?" He looked under the table, but she was awake. "Must have gone numb from all of the pain. Get her in a cell." He order to the others in the room as he picked up a rag to clean his hands.

Kairi was aware of the restraints being loosened, but she didn't fight back. She felt broke and violated. Her mind brought up all of her friends that she had made. And she had promised all of them she would be fine. 'I'm sorry everyone. But it looks like I'm not coming back this time.' She was laid down on a hard concrete floor and had a cloak thrown over her. She shut her eyes and let darkness take her as a loud clang of iron bars shutting deafened her.

* * *

Let me know what you thought of the chapter.


	6. Nightmare

I do not own Tokyo Ghoul. Sorry for the ate update. I am currently getting over the flu, and it kicked my ass. But, on with the story.

* * *

Uta frowned as they snuck into Aogiri Tree's hideout in 11th ward. If Touka was right, and it was Jason that had taken Kairi and Ken, then this was not going to be easy. "This place remind me of 4th." He commented as he put a mask on under his hood.

"Aogiri Tree has been fighting from here for some time now." Yomo said as he placed a mask over his own face. "Remember, we're here for Kaneki and Kairi. No side adventures." He cast a glance at the third member of their infiltration team.

"You will have no problem from me." Tsukiyama stated with a voice of innocence. "I am here to save the exquisite Shimoto-chan as well. I simply can not live without tasting all of her delicious food."

"She tastes better." Uta muttered to himself as they snuck around the underground tunnels. "This place is big."

"We may have to split up to find them." Yomo commented in annoyance.

"What do we have here?" The three paused as a voice spoke up behind them. "No one is allowed down here. King's orders." The blond haired man ducked and dodged as the three attacked him simultaneously. "No class."

"Kyokai." Uta growled under his breath as he recognized the blond. "Raven, Gourmet, go on ahead. This one is mine."

Shinji frowned hearing the names among the ghouls. "Raven you say? That would make you No-Face, would it not?" He smirked as the group split up, leaving him and No-Face alone. "I must say, I wasn't expecting you so soon. Although, 10 days is a long time for someone to be waiting."

"Where is she?" Uta asked as he pulled his hood off of his head. "If you harmed her-"

"I did no such thing." Shinji stated as he pocketed his hands. "Jason on the other hand, he certainly had fun with her." He jumped back as No-Face charged at him. He twisted away from the ghoul's attacks. "You've gotten slower, not active without your clowns?"

"The Clowns are still around." Uta stated as he blocked an attack. "Your Aces though have been gone for a long time." He landed a solid hit on the ghoul's chest, knocking him into a wall.

Shinji slowly pulled himself up from the ground. "At least I got her first." He chuckled as No-Face froze. "She has a beautiful voice, and she likes it rough. Which is surprising, considering it was her first time." His laugh got a bit stronger as he straightened himself out. "You should be pleased though, she fought me tooth and nail. She was still fighting as she came. Had the cutest face-"

Uta punched the man in the face. "I'm not going to kill you right now." He pinned the man to the ground and glared at him through his mask. "I'm going to tear you apart till you beg me for death. And even then I won't kill you." He used his kagune to tear the man's legs off. "I will only kill you when you make me laugh."

Shinji laughed as he used his own kagune to push No-Face off of him. Two of the tentacles of his kagune lifted him up as his other four came up around him. "Try and kill me. You tried once before and failed. I wonder what I will do to get back at you next time you fail to kill me."

Uta crouched down as his opponent charged at him. He ducked under a swipe and rolled away as Kyokai landed where he had been. He grabbed the man's kagune and threw him into a wall. "There will be no next time-" Blood came from his mouth as a kagune dug into his stomach.

Shinji laughed as he lifted No-Face up by the tentacle through his stomach. "For you perhaps. Maybe I'll name Kairi's first child after you." He tossed the man into a wall. "Then I can torture the little bastard in your place. Won't that break Kairi's heart."

Uta slowly stood up, his mask was cracked and ruined. He pulled it off and tossed it away. "You really want me to kill you." He dodged another attack from Kyokai and grabbed the man's kagune. He pulled Shinji off balance before pinning the man onto his stomach and stepped on his back. He grabbed the base of Kyokai's kagune and yanked it out of his body.

A smile grew on Uta's face as Kyokai began screaming in pain. His hand dug into his back, pulling out any remaining pieces of his kagune. "You ready to die?" He asked as the man began to quiet down.

Shinji gave one more small laugh before he looked up at the man he knew as No-Face. "You know, I wondered how Kairi stayed awake so long under Jason's hands. I felt like passing out just from having it done once." He chuckled at the man's confused look. "Mind telling me your name, since I'm about to die."

"Uta." With once swift move Uta knocked the man's head off of his body. Looking down at his bloody hands he grinned. "Clowns always get the last laugh." He pulled his hood back up as he moved down the hall to meet up with Yomo and Tuskiyama.

* * *

Kairi woke to near darkness. She tried to sit up, but moving hurt, a lot. She rolled over and pulled the cloak around her tighter. "You smell strange now." She looked outside of her cell and saw the bandaged girl from earlier squatting on the other side of the bar. "Before you smelled rather nice, you still smell nice, but now it has a strangeness to it. Like many other different scents slowly becoming one."

Kairi forced herself into a sitting position and held the cloak over her naked body. "What are you going to do with me?"

"I don't know." The girl giggled as she straightened up. "But good luck." Kairi watched as the girl skipped away.

Kairi rearranged the cloak around her body, grateful the clip was still functioning, and shakily got to her feet. She stumbled a bit as she made her way over to the bars of her cell. She gained confidence in each step, but very little strength.

She gripped the bars and looked around outside of her cell. There was hardly any light, but enough for her to make out objects. "Hello?" She called out into the darkness, her voice echoing off the cement walls. She was answered with a boom and the ground beneath her shaking. She staggered to the floor as dust and small bits of rock fell around her. "Is anyone there!" She called out louder, hoping someone would here her.

As the silent seconds ticked on, she was beginning to lose hope. "Kairi?!" An echo sounded from down the hall to her right. "Kairi!"

"Uta!" Kairi knew his voice instantly. She felt tears run down her face as Uta ran into the room and came to a stop in front of her. "You're here."

Uta gave Kairi a gentle smile, she looked like she had gone through Hell. "Yeah, I'm here now." He knelt down in front of her placing his hand over hers.

"We need to keep moving." Yomo stated as he came up behind Uta. "We don't have much time before the CCG finds us."

Uta nodded as he used his kagune to bend the bars wide enough for Kairi to get out. Kairi shakily stood up and stepped out of her cell. She tripped on the bent bar of the cell, but Uta caught her before she hit the ground. His face twitched as he felt nothing beneath the cloak she was wearing. "I was so scared. I thought I would never see you again." Uta remained silent as Kairi held onto him as strongly as he was holding her.

Yomo gave the woman a small smile. "You gave us all a scare. You even had Uta worked into a frenzy." He noticed his friend pull Kairi closer to him, burying his face into her hair.

Kairi snuggled closer to Uta, it felt like home. "You smell different." Uta stated as he pulled his face out of Kairi's hair. Another boom shook the building they were in.

"We will have to worry about that later." Kairi said as she regained her footing. "Where are we?"

"11th ward." Yomo stated while passing Kairi her mask.

Kairi snorted as she slid her mask on over her face. "No wonder it feels nostalgic. Reminds me of 4th." Her smile widened as Yomo held out her red briefcase. "You brought me Scarlet as well? How thoughtful." She swung the scythe open and used it to help stabilize herself. "Let's go."

They started at a slow pace, but once Kairi got moving, she regaininged confidence on her movements. They started nearing a more populated area since the sounds of fighting were not hard to miss. And the smell of blood was thick in the air.

"We have movement on our right!" Kairi smirked as a CCG officer started shooting at them. She ducked under the shots and jumped above him. "It's The Black Widow!" He cried out before Kairi cut through him with Scarlet Fang.

Kairi stood slowly as other CCG officers turned their attention to her. One officer stepped forward with a quinque in hand. "Drop the scythe ghoul! That's property-" The man stopped as he was forced to defend against Black Widow's attack.

"I believe it became mine the moment I picked it up." Kairi lowered her voice a bit. She had always found it more fitting with the personality she had when she was Black Widow. Black Widow was a powerful and confident Ghoul, she needed a confident and powerful sounding voice.

The two exchanged blows as they neared the rest of the battlefield. Other ghouls joined in fighting with Black Widow when they saw she was wearing a cloak that looked just like theirs. But Kairi was focused on her battle, and the uneven ground under her bare feet was not boding well for her. She was proven right when she lost her balance and fell. She was grateful the cloak stayed closed as she fell back onto her ass.

The investigator chuckled as he looked down on Black Widow, stepping on her scythe to keep it on the ground. "You were never listed as a fighting ghoul, more of a symbol or guardian. Plus, no one has ever seen you fight. Now I can tell why. You're not suited for it at all. It's like you're nothing more than a human, a weak little human girl." He raised his spear and brought it down at her head.

Kairi closed her eyes, expecting the spear to run through her head, but the hit never came, just the sound of tearing flesh and dripping blood. She slowly opened her eyes to see what had happened. About an inch away from her face was the tip of the investigator's spear quinque. And holding the spear was the investigator, who was being impaled by a pair of kagune. 'Who saved me?' Kairi wondered as she looked around. Her gaze stopped when she saw the kagune coming from behind her back, but there was no one behind her.

"Damn ghoul!" Kairi turned as another investigator ran at her. He too was impaled by another pair of kagune coming from her back.

Kairi stood and backed away as the kagune retreated and stood guard around her. She could see other ghouls staring at her. She picked up her scythe and began leaving, but an intense pain sprouted from where the kagune was coming from. "Gah!" The feeling of small claws digging at the underside of her skin and along her bones, muscle, and nerves were not a feeling Kairi wanted to continue.

"Kairi?!" Uta landed beside Kairi as she fell to her knees. He gazed in shock at the kagune coming form her back. "Kairi, calm down. They react to your emotions."

"...hungry..." Uta frowned as Kairi whimpered in pain. "They feel hungry..." Her eyes shut as she collapsed against Uta. Uta frowned as the kagune retracted back into Kairi's body, one into her upper shoulder blades and another into her mid back.

"They did that to her." Yomo stated as he looked at the ghouls standing around watching.

Uta gently picked Kairi up and held her close to his chest. "They will pay." Was all he spoke before he slipped into his fighting mind set. 'There will be blood tonight.'

* * *

Kairi woke up to sunlight filtering in through her window. She frowned at the white drapes flowing in the breeze. She hadn't had white drapes in her room since she had been back in her parent's house. She pushed the familiar brightly colored quilt off of her, also from her parent's house.

"What is going on?" Kairi asked as she got up and walked through her old bedroom. She pulled open the door and walked down the familiar hall. She climbed down the stairs and found everything as she once remembered it.

"Hello." Kairi looked into the kitchen and stared at the person who had spoke. "Good to see you finally got up." A 15 year old Kairi stood in the kitchen making coffee. "You know, I once told mom I wouldn't drink coffee till I got into university. To think I would start drinking it just to feel like I fit in."

"That's not why I drink it." Kairi stated as she joined herself in the kitchen. She fixed herself a cup of coffee. "It helps with the headaches."

"You still don't remember mom and dad?" The younger Kairi asked with a frown. "What about Hikari-chan?"

"Who?" Kairi asked as she frowned at her younger counterpart. "Who is Hikari?"

"Tatsuyaki Hikari, our best friend when we were 5." Kairi stared at the younger girl as an image of a smiling redhead flashed through her mind. "We met her at school and became instant friends with her. Mom even let us invite her over for a sleep over. We had a sleep over every Saturday night."

"Then the raid in Hikari's neighborhood happened." Kairi said as she blinked in amazement. "Mom and Dad sent Hikari off with officers to look for her parents."

"They probably took her to one of those extraction facilities." The younger girl stated as she walked over to the counter on the far side. A picture appeared in her hand that she placed on the counter. "Dad lost his quinque that night, and the next week he got Scarlet Fang."

"Hikari's kagune." Kairi stated in shock. She could clearly remember Hikari showing off her bright red kagune one day when they were on the roof at recess while they were at preschool. "That's why I worry so much when I don't know where Scarlet is."

"Yeah." 15 year old Kairi crossed her arms as she walked back over to her older self. "What else do you remember?"

"Fuma, he killed mom and dad." Kairi said as she looked over at the pristine living room. "Mom used to make me this birthday cake with rock candy between the layers. And dad would always take me to museums after an exam."

"Seems you remember everything." Kairi watched as the 15 year old version of herself grew older. Soon she matched herself, but with a few differences. Her eyes were bright red with black scleras and she had 8 kagune arms coming from her back. "Now, what do you know about me?"

Kairi stared at the woman in front of her in shock. She looked so different from her, but the same. "You're Black Widow." The voice was a dead give away.

"We're Black Widow." The woman said as she walked up to the human. "Only difference, I'm a ghoul."

"And I'm human." Kairi finished as she watched one of the woman's eyes turn white and green. "But...what does that make us? Half ghoul half human?"

"Guess so." The woman spoke as she ran a hand over her kagune. "You may want to stay fed, these things tend to eat a lot."

Kairi frowned as she watched the kagune move. "They're alive?" She shivered as she remembered the feeling of those small claws under her skin.

"In a way." Kairi frowned at the woman's round about answer. "I'm a part of you. You don't know, so I don't know. It's just my guess." She shrugged as she took another step closer to Kairi. "So, you ready to face the world as the freak we are?"

"We aren't a freak, we're unique." Kairi chuckled to herself. "Uta would hit us over the head for calling ourselves a freak." The two women laughed remembering the early days of their friendship with the ghoul. "He's always been so sweet."

"He thinks we're sweet and tasty." The woman laughed as Kairi blushed. "Come on, I know what you've thought of him. Those dreams and fantasies you've had."

"Shut up!" Kairi yelled at the laughing woman. "You forget those are also your dreams and fantasies."

"But I embrace them, and I am quite looking forward to seeing them come true." Kairi growled as the woman spoke her own wishes. "Ready?" She offered Kairi a hand.

Kairi looked from the hand to the woman. She let out a breath as she reached for it. "Yeah, let's go."

* * *

Another shorter one. And sorry if Uta ended up a little OOC.

And once again, sorry for the late update. I hate being sick, it makes me sleepy and lazier than I already am.

Let me know what you thought of the chapter!


	7. Back to Work

I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.

* * *

Kairi woke to a mildly lit room. Judging by the light shining at the blinds on the window, it was probably around noon. She kicked off her covers and got out of bed. She yawned while she stretched and her stomach growled. "Food." She left her room and ventured down to the kitchen of Anteiku. She pulled open a cupboard and smiled at her box of cereal. "Come to me food." She poured herself a bowl and added soy milk to it.

She was happily munching on her cereal when Uta and Yomo walked into the kitchen. "You're awake." Uta commented in surprise. Her wounds had been infected and inflamed, but healing. He would have thought she would be down with a fever for a week. Not just asleep for two days. "What are you eating?"

Kairi swallowed her mouthful. "My usual breakfast of human food." She ate another spoonful, smiling at the sweet taste of honey. She noticed them both staring at her in worry and confusion. "What?"

"Do you not remember?" Yomo asked cautiously. The last thing they needed was Kairi losing more of her memories. "Two days ago we rescued you form Aogiri Tree-"

"I remember that." Kairi said as she waved her spoon at them. "I also remember my parents, how they died, everything Shinji did to me, and Hikari-chan." She finished off her cereal and cleaned out her bowl. "I honestly don't see what has you two so worried."

Uta blinked as they took in what Kairi had said, she had her memories back. "Who's Hikari-chan?"

Kairi smiled fondly as she put her cleaned dishes away. "I'll show you." She led them back up the stairs to her room. In it's usual corner, was Scarlet Fang. She released it and ran a hand gently over it. "Scarlet was made form the kagune of my best friend. I didn't remember, but part of me did. That's why I'm always fretting over her."

"The ghoul you befriended when you were 5?" Yomo asked while looking at the quinque curiously. "Colored kagune are rare."

"Hikari-chan used to tell me that. Said she was so happy to have a kagune like her mother's." The three lapped into silence as Kairi put the quinque away. "So, why were you both shocked that I was eating cereal? I do that every morning."

"You know how Kaneki became part ghoul?" Yomo asked as Kairi settled herself on her couch as she nodded. "While you were at Aogiri Tree, Oomori transplanted four kagune into your back." Kairi shivered as she reached above her shoulder and held onto it. "They've fused with your spine, we can't remove them without risking you dying."

"And I'm not risking it." Uta stated as he sat on the back of the couch behind Kairi. "The kagune aren't killing her, she just needs to learn how to control them."

"They're dormant." Kairi stated as she thought back to when she used them. "I don't feel them when they aren't active. But when they are awake, I feel this intense hunger from them. Then the feeling of them eating away at my insides." She shuddered remembering the feeling of being eaten from the inside. "Kaneki had some organ transplanted that stops the kagune from devouring his human pieces. I don't have that, which is probably why I can still consume human food."

"In other words, if you use your kagune, it will eat you alive." Yomo stated with a frown. He noticed Uta grimace and move closer to Kairi. "We'll figure out something. Maybe we can remove parts of the kagune."

"It wouldn't be bad if you didn't" Kairi moved over on the couch as Uta climbed over the back to sit beside her. "As long as I don't use them-"

"You're going to end up using them." Uta traced patterns on Kairi's back absentmindedly. "Just like back in 11th, you didn't even know how to use them, but they protected you. It's all instinct."

A knock at the door halted their conversation. Irimi stuck her head in. "So you are up. Yoshimaru-san would like to speak with you three."

"We just talked to him." Uta complained as he slouched on the couch. "What does the old owl want now?"

Irimi shrugged as she left the room. Kairi sighed as she got up from the couch. "Might as well should see what he wants now." She dragged Uta to his feet. "Come on. It won't be that bad."

"Last time he asked for something, you got hurt." Uta stared down at Kairi as he twirled a piece of her hair between his fingers. "I don't want to know what will happen to you next time."

Kairi got up onto her tiptoes and placed a kiss on Uta's lips. "Then I will just have to keep you with me next time." She giggled as Uta pulled her into another kiss.

"Come on you two." Yomo chided as he walked between them to get to the door. "There is a time and place for everything." He shook his heard as he heard Kairi giggling behind him, Uta was probably making faces at his back.

They got downstairs and found Yoshimaru looking at the freezer in the kitchen. "Seems we are low on supplies." He commented as he shut the door. "It is good to see you are recovering, Shimoto-san."

"What do you want?" Uta asked as he placed an arm around Kairi's shoulders. He was not fond of the old man at the moment, but he didn't hate him.

"I need you to investigate where Aogiri Tree has gone." Yoshimaru stated with a frown. "They have completely vanished. As well as any traces of Kaneki Ken."

"Kaneki-kun is missing?" Kairi asked with worry. She had just assumed he was resting at home. Everyone nodded in response. "Whatever I can do to help, I will. Kaneki-kun is a good kid. But he went through much worse than I did while we were Jason's guests. He had Kaneki-kun for 10 days before he took a break to do what he did to me." She felt a chill run down her spine.

Uta pulled Kairi closer to him. "We will find him. Touka-chan said he was alive. We just need to bring him home."

"He left of his own free will." Yomo interjected. "He won't come back until he feels he can."

"Regardless of Kaneki Ken," Yoshimura drew their attention. "Aogiri Tree is our priority. We don't know what they are planning."

"We'll find out." Yomo replied coolly. "Right?" Kairi nodded happily as Uta gave a single nod.

* * *

~Several weeks later~

Silence filled the dimly lit room. A meeting was about to take place, once the final members arrived. "They're here." No-Face stated as he turned to look at the door to the room. Four ghouls walked in.

"Black Widow-sama!" A small ghoul with a larger spider on the top of her head ran over to Black Widow and hugged her tightly. "It's so good to see you again."

Black Widow smiled as she patted the girl on the head. It was still hard to believe this ghoul was only a few years younger than her. "I'm happy to see you too, Tarantula." Her gaze moved up to her other three generals. "What do you have to report? Crab?"

A ghoul with an orange spider mask stepped forward. "Aogiri Tree has control of 9th, 10th, and 11th ward. All of our spiders are being wiped out. Along with any clowns." His gaze shifted to No-Face for a brief second. "Can we really trust them?" His question was directed at the leader of the Spider Clan."

Black Widow nodded before looking over at No-Face. "Clowns have the same objective as us. As long as you don't bite, they won't stomp." Her gaze shifted to another of her generals. "Brown Recluse?"

"There's been an increase in Dove activities. Especially in 20th ward." The ghoul spoke behind his half mask. The body of the spider covered his chin and nose while the legs curled up the sides of his face. "The CCG is onto something."

"Anteiku needs to be warned." No-Face commented.

Black widow nodded in agreement. "Tarantula, how's the East?" She looked at the small ghoul.

Tarantula saluted Black Widow. "Still no sign of any of the ghouls that were freed from Cochlea. Investigators have started giving up hope of finding them in the surrounding wards."

Black Widow nodded as she turned her attention to her northern general, Wolf. The white masked man nodded in acknowledgement. "The North has been quiet. But the Apes have been active recently. Almost as though they are gearing for a fight." He looked from his leader to the other Spiders. "Is there another extermination coming?"

Black Widow sighs as she crossed her arms. "We don't know, but that is the most probably outcome." She noticed all of her generals tense a bit. "If it come's to a fight, will you join me?" She noticed them all look at her in shock. "I did not make the Spiders to become an army. I will not force you to fight."

"The Brown Spiders are with you." The ghoul removed his mask and placed it over his heart. "You banded us together and have been fair to us. We will show you what loyalty brings."

"Tarantulas never back away form a fight!" The little girl shouted as she waved a fist in the air.

"We are all with you, Black Widow." Wolf spoke as he stepped forward. "You may be human, but to us you will always be our leader."

Black Widow chuckled as she looked at her generals. "Thank you." She stood by No-Face as her generals left the deserted building. Kairi pulled off her mask. "That went better than expected."

"No kidding." Uta slid his mask to the top of his head. "You have a better network than I do." He chuckled as Yomo walked into the room from the one he had been waiting in. "We got everything?"

"Yes. We can leave." Yomo stated as he put his mask on.

"One second." Kairi said as she walked over to an open window. She proceeded to vomit out of said window. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand when she was finished. "I hate getting sick."

The two men gave her a sympathetic smile, they never got sick. "Come here." Uta said as he slid his mask back down over his face. He picked Kairi up and held her close. "Let's get you home." He waited till she pulled her mask down over her face before heading back to 4th ward.

It took them a little over 10 minutes to get there from their meeting place. Yomo continued on to 20th ward to inform Yoshimaru while Uta and Kairi walked into their home. "They're back!" Kairi smiled as Yuki and Itori greeted them at the back door. "Welcome back!" Yuki smiled as she hugged Kairi happily.

"We're back." Kairi said with a smile as she pulled her mask off. The smile fell off of her face as she walked over to the trash can and heaved out whatever could possibly still be left in her stomach. She sighed as she slid down to the floor once she was done. "I wish I had an immune system like you guys."

"How long has she been sick?" Yuki asked as she placed a hand on Kairi's forehead. "You're burning up." She quickly got a rag and wet it before placing it on the human's forehead.

"It started a few days ago." Uta said as he picked Kairi up off of the floor. "But it's settled a bit. She can't seem to be able to eat anything though."

Yuki frowned as she thought of what to make. "Should I go get something?"

"No, Yuki-chan. It's fine. Coffee seems to settle my nausea enough." She chuckled as she snuggled into Uta's arms. "It's like I'm a ghoul."

"Then maybe something from the cafe will help." Itori said while walking over to a rack of cooling pies. "Here, no the healthiest, but I'm sure one of you will eat it." She chuckled as Kairi accepted the pie from her. "Now you two go have fun." She gave them a wink as Uta took Kairi down to his basement.

"I can't tell if she is teasing or just being herself." Kairi said as she looked at the pie in her lap. She smiled as the sweet taste filled her nostrils. "The pie does smell good."

Uta chuckled as he got to the bottom of the stairs. "Imagine how I feel right now." He looked down at Kairi with a smiled before leaning in closer to her face. "I can't decide if I want to eat you or the pie." Kairi blushed, knowing what kind of eating he meant. "I could have both, but then you won't get pie."

"I claim half the pie." Kairi met Uta's gaze as he set her down on one of the chairs in his apartment. The apartment was the back half of his shop. It had a bed, bath, and living room. "If I can keep it down."

Uta nodded as he grabbed forks from a bag of disposable forks he had. Since he usually use went up and grabbed a piece of pie, he had a staff of disposable utensils in his apartment. "Coffee?" He asked as he turned on his coffee maker. It wasn't as good as upstairs, but he wouldn't have to go upstairs.

"Thank you." Kairi said as she took a bite of pie. She smiled at the delicious taste. It tasted like a sugar piece or sugar tart of some type. "I never thought you would like such a sweet desert." She ate another bite of pie, her stomach wasn't objecting.

Uta smirked as he walked over and ate a bite of pie off of Kairi's fork. "Well, you're sweeter. And I speak from experience." He kissed her cheek as it flared with blush. "It's gotten much easier to tease you."

"Doesn't help that you bring things up all of the time." Kairi ate another piece of pie as she got her blush under control. She accepted the cup of coffee that Uta offered her. She took a drink of the hot beverage and smiled. "My stomach is happy."

Uta chuckled as he picked up his fork and ate a piece of pie. "Now, let's hope it stays happy." They finished off the pie and the pot of coffee in a few hours. "I think it's time for my other treat."

Kairi frowned as she looked over at Uta. He had gotten up form his spot and was leaning over her. His lips met her's in a searing kiss that left her clinging to him. Her legs wrapped around his hip when he picked her up from her chair. She was gasping for air when they finally pulled away from each other. "Uta-"

"Can I satisfy my addiction?" Uta smirked as Kairi blushed all the way down her neck. She looked so cute whenever he asked. "If you keep reacting like that, I'll keep asking every time." He limbed onto his bed and laid Kairi down. She was till blushing and looking away form him. He placed his lips on the pulse on her neck.

Kairi gasped as Uta kissed at her neck, leaving love bites along her pulse. She scratched her nails along Uta's scalp, drawing a growl from the ghoul. "You know, satisfying an addiction doesn't get rid of it."

"I never want to get rid of it." Uta pressed his lips against Kairi's as his hand moved down her body. "I'm going to claim you till everyone know's you're mine." He smiled at the excited look he found in Kairi's eyes, it excited him as well.

* * *

Kairi stretched as she walked up the stairs to Anteiku. She was sore, but at least her stomach had settled itself. Maybe she had finally gotten over that damn flu. "I'm back." She called as she walked into the store. She froze as she caught sight of a pair of investigators, they were looking at her.

"Shimoto Kairi?" The larger of the two stood with a smile on his face. "What a coincidence!" He offered a hand to Kairi. "For a second I thought Fumi-san had walked in the door. But then she would have yelled at me to get back to work." He chuckled as the girl just stared at him.

"Shinohara-san?" Kairi was shocked. She knew her parents knew a lot of the investigators, but this was getting ridiculous. "It's been a while. How are you?"

"Who's this?" Kairi looked around Shinohara at a small blond haired girl. At least Kairi thought she was a girl.

"Juuzou, this is Shimoto Kairi. She's the daughter of a pair of old friends of mine." Shinohara smiled as he introduces the two. "They've passed on, but their daughter certainly lives up to their legacy." Kairi smiled sheepishly at Shinohara's praise. "Kairi, this is Juuzou Suzuya, my partner."

Kairi smiled as she extended her hand to Juuzou. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You're weird." Juuzou stated as he tilted his head.

Kairi frowned as she tilted her head to match Juuzou's. "So are you, but I like your sewn tattoos. They fit you really well."

"You don't know me." Juuzou straightened his head. "But I like you. I think we are going to be good friends."

"I hope so." Kairi gave Juuzou a smile before she walked over to the bar. "How long have they been here?" She looked from Irimi to Koma for an answer.

"About an hour or so." Nishiki said as he leaned on the bar beside Kairi. "You know them?"

"Only Shinohara-san. He used to work with my parents." Kairi watched as the two investigators left, waving goodbye to her. "Anything new here?"

"They liked the muffins." Touka said as she walked by with the dirty dishes. She gave Kairi a smile. "It was fun watching them eat them."

Kairi chuckled as she ruffled the girl's hair. "I'm sure you had plenty of fun. Did you try to serve them other things?"

"They ordered two bubble teas." Touka smirked widely. "The blond one asked for a refill."

"Welcome back, Shimoto-san." Kairi gave Yoshimaru a smile as the older gentleman greeted her. "We look forward to continuing to work with you."

* * *

It seems like the end is coming, but don't worry I am going to spill over into re territory. But there is going to be a short Haitus until the series either finishes or I come across something that I want to change and divert from the story plot. So please be patient with me.

Let me know what you thought of the chapter. As well as what you think of the story.


	8. The Fall

I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.

* * *

A couple months passed before Kairi returned to Anteiku again. She had spent the day with them, but had told the manager she had taught them everything she could. They seemed to be managing with the food just fine. And it was helping to throw suspicion off of them.

She entered the shop from the back with Uta and Yomo. The place was empty except for Irimi, Koma, and Hinami-chan. "What's going on?" Kairi asked as Hinami ran up to her with a sad face.

"I'm afraid we must close up shop." Yoshimaru stated sadly. "Hinami-chan came to tell us that Kaneki has disbanded their group and has vanished once more." He looked up at Yomo with a serious face. "Touka-chan has not come in yet. Can you make sure she is taken care of?" Yomo nodded before he turned and left the shop. "And Hinami-chan need to be taken care of as well."

Kairi looked over at Uta and noticed him looking at her. "Well I have my generals to take care of, so I am staying."

"You can't!" Hinami cried as she looked up at Kairi. "The Doves will kill you! They don't care if you're human!"

Kairi knelt down in front of the girl and hugged her. "Don't worry Hinami-chan, no Dove can kill me." She caught Uta sighing in relief. "Besides, I still have to make you a birthday cake." She giggled as the girl stared at her in amazement. "You wanted a white cake with purple frosting right?" The girl nodded as she wiped her eyes. "Now, go with Uta, he will make sure you are safe."

Uta pulled Kairi into a hug. "Are you sure about this? You've been off for a few days now."

Kairi smiled faintly remembering she needed to tell him. She stood on her toes as she placed a kiss on Ut'a lips. "I'll be fine. I'll find you afterwards. There's something I need to tell you." She giggled when Uta gave her a questioning look. "Go take care of Hinami-chan." She kissed his cheek one least time, but Uta instead pulled her closer and captured her lips one last time.

"Thank you, Black Widow." Yoshimaru said as Kairi turned away from the closing door. "Now to prepare for tonight. Irimi, Koma, am leaving the bulk of the CCG forces to you and your groups. Kairi, you and your spiders keep the Doves contained. They do not want us to get out, so we will make sure none of them get out." The three group leaders nodded as Yoshimaru instructed them. "Gather your teams."

Kairi pulled out her cell phone and went up to the roof. She sent off a text to her four generals and waited for their replies. "To think it would come to this." Kairi looked beside her as Koma and Irimi joined her on the edge of the roof. "It will be nice to get the gang back together." Irimi laughed a bit as they watched the sun set. "Good luck, I hope to see you all in the morning."

"And if not, good death to us all." Koma said as he pulled a phone out and checked it. "My guys are on their way. Looks like I finally get to put on the old uniform."

Kairi smiled at the two. Under normal circumstances, they would have been at each other's throats. They were each leaders of strong gangs, and killing a leader would mean taking over the gang. But here they were, friends, and ready to fight to the death together. A hand slowly drifted to her stomach. "Another impossible dream come true."

"You say something?" Irimi asked as she looked over at Kairi. For a human, she was a good friend.

"Just thinking out loud." Kairi said as she looked at her phone. "Spiders are on their way. All four squads."

"Still shocks me how they know you're human, but still follow you." Koma chuckled as he headed for the door. "Or how you are able to control 4 squads as one gang."

Kairi shrugged as she walked past him into the cafe. "Each squad already existed as a gang. I just brought them all together." She got to her bedroom and opened the door. "See you guys back downstairs." She waved as they continued down to the main level of the cafe.

Kairi took a deep breath as she laid a hand on her stomach again. "Looks like we got a job to do little one." She smiled thinking of what was growing inside of her.

* * *

~Flashback: 1 week ago~

Kairi sighed as she stared at the empty pie plate in front of her. It was her third pie this morning. "I think I have a parasite." She laid her head on the table. Cursing as she caught sight of a loaf of bread that made her stomach growl.

"Kairi? You upstairs?" Uta called as he climbed the stairs to the main floor. He caught sight of three empty pie plates and Kairi. "You okay? It's not even noon yet." He walked over to her and chuckled as he heard her stomach growl. "Did we over do it last night?" He kissed her cheek as she blushed.

"Considering we probably finished some time this morning, I think so." She couldn't look at Uta as she spoke. She squeaked as Uta picked her up. "I can walk you know." She glared at the ghoul as he just gave her one of his neutral smiles.

Her stomach gave a different growl this time. "Uta, put me down." She rushed off to the bathroom once her feet were on the ground. She sighed as she made it in time. "Guess my period should be starting soon." She pulled the tiny little calendar out from under the sink. She had hidden it so no one could find it. "Let's see. Today is December..." Kairi paused as she looked at the month the calendar was open to. "That can't be." She flipped it forward and saw blank pages. "I missed." She never missed.

A knock at the door startled her. "Kairi-san, Momo is heading to the store for a few things. Do you need anything?" Yuki asked through the bathroom door. She may be mostly running the store, but Kairi still took care of the inventory and accounting parts. "Kairi-san?"

The door opened and Kairi walked past Yuki with a smile. "There are a few things I want to pick up. Momo-chan, I'm coming with you. The first aid kit needs a resupply and also a few of the specialty items." She smiled as she grabbed her purse and headed to meet the girl at the front door. She found Uta munching on a piece of pie at the counter. "I'll be back soon." She kissed his cheek before running to meet up with Momo. "Let's go."

It took them about 2 hours to go from the grocery store to the pharmacy, and then the pharmacy back to the store. "How can you carry so much?" Momo asked as she watched her manager carry 4 bags on each arm. She only had two on each arm. And Kairi had been asking if she wanted her to take more of her bags. "I thought I was suppose to be the stronger of the two of us." She joked as they turned down the road to reach the store.

Kairi giggled at the girl's joke. "Maybe you aren't who you say you are?" She smirked as the girl looked at her with worry. "Maybe I will have to interrogate you and find out what you did with my cute Momo-chan?" She laughed as the girl tensed and started running to the store. She chased after the girl with a laugh. "You're too cute to tease Momo-chan." She said as they reached the store.

"That's so mean Kairi-sama." Momo said as she pushed the door open. "Yuki-san, Kairi-sama is threatening to tickle me!"

Yuki laughed at the girl's distress. "Oh? What is she interrogating you about this time?" She raised an eyebrow as Kairi walked into the store after Momo.

"Momo was complaining how she should be stronger than me since she is a ghoul." Kairi had already checked to see if anyone was in the store, it was empty. "So I said she might not be a ghoul, or even our cute little Momo-chan."

"Sounds about right." Katia said as she came around form the back. "Renji-san is filling your freezer."

"Thank you Katia-chan. Can you help Momo put the stuff away? I'm going to restock the first aid kit." She pulled the bag from the drug store out and headed to the back. She gave Yomo a quick greeting before going into the bathroom and locking the door behind her. She pulled out the four pregnancy tests out of the bag before actually restocking the first aid kit. It would look suspicious if she hadn't. "Now to see if I'm wrong."

After completing the tests, she hid them with her calendar and left the bathroom. She went about her day as usual, baking and joking with the girls. She spent lunch with Uta, eating much more than she normally did. That resulted in Uta teasing her about becoming a puffed pastry instead of a pie.

It wasn't until they closed at 5 that Kairi got a chance to go back to the bathroom and check the test results. She took a deep breath as she held all of the tests face down. "Alright..." She took another deep breath as she turned the first test over. A little plus showed on the strip, one positive. She turned over another, two lines were showing, two positive. She flipped the other two at the same time, both positive. "I'm pregnant." She whispered to herself as she laid a hand on her stomach.

A knock at the door cause her to nearly drop the little plastic tests. "Kairi, you okay?" Uta's sounded form the other side of the door. Kairi looked form the tests in her hands back towards the door. She liked her lips as she tried to think of what to tell him. Would he even want to be a father? Did he want kids? "Kairi? Is something wrong?" Uta began to worry as no response came from the bathroom.

"Y-yeah. Just ate too much. My stomach is mad at me." She chuckled as she lied. Her stomach was a bit upset, but not from the food. "I'll be down in a few minutes." She looked back at the tests with a worried face. Could she even get an abortion? Or was she too far along?

"Alright." Uta frowned as he looked at the closed door. She didn't sound alright, but some part of him felt it wasn't her stomach acting up. he shook his head as he headed down to their room. Kairi had all but moved in with him downstairs. She just didn't have all of her clothes downstairs yet.

Kairi took a deep breath as she stashed the tests away with her calendar. She would tell him later. With a nod she got up and washed her hands. She had to make it seem like she had actually used the bathroom. No one could know, not yet.

* * *

~Flashback end~

Kairi pulled her hair back and braided it so it sat loosely down her back. She smiled as she looked at her outfit. She was glad she had changed the outfit since her early days as Black Widow. Her bright red skirt and corset helped to hide any inching of her growing stomach. She wasn't showing yet, but she already felt like it was obvious. She pulled her cropped jacket on and gave herself a nod. "Not bad." She pulled a piece of lint off of her black leggings.

She picked up her mask and briefcase before heading downstairs. She found Irimi and Koma dressed and waiting, drinking a cup of coffee. "Would you like a cup?" Yoshimaru asked Kairi with a faint smile. He got a nod from the woman and began preparing a cup for her. "The light is almost gone." He commented as the last light began to fade. At night fall the CCG would begin their operation. "Thank you all for you hard work. I'm sorry we could not stay open for longer."

They finished their coffee in silence. Then turned out the lights and headed up to the roof. They all had their masks on and were watching the streets.

Four people landed behind them in silence. "Let's go." Kairi slung her briefcase over her head before taking off at a run. With all of her years of following Uta and Yomo around, she could travel across rooftops pretty easily. "Our job is to make sure none of the CCG leave 20th ward. As well as get any lingering ghouls out of 20th ward." She landed on a roof and walked over to the edge. On the neighboring rooftops were the members of the four squads. "Take your spiders to their edges. Leave any Doves to you and your captains. The lieutenants won't stand a chance with how they train now."

"What about you?" Tarantula asked with worry. "Are you going straight for the Doves?" She got a nod from their leader. "Then I'm going with you! I will not allow you to throw yourself in the middle of this fight while we sit on the side lines." The little girl could tell Black Widow was giving her a smile. "We swore to protect you as you have protected us."

Black Widow looked at her four generals, they all had the same stance it seemed. She chuckled before looking at the rest of the spiders. "Then appoint your stand-ins, we may not come back form this fight." She watched as the four went off to their squads to say their goodbyes and their orders.

The sound of fighting echoed around them after the rest of the spiders had left, leaving Black Widow and her Generals. As one they moved across rooftops till they found an opponent. A single Dove was walking down the road with his quinque still enclosed in it's case. But the ghouls easily spotted the other doves following in the shadows.

Black Widow gave her generals a wave as she descended to the street. She extended her quinque and swung at the investigator. His quinqeu sprang from it's case and blocked her attack. "Hello, Black Widow." Kairi stared in shock at her opponent. "My name is Takeda Takashi. You have something that doesn't belong to you."

Kairi pushed the man back as she took inventory of what was around her. Her generals were fighting the 7 or so Doves that had accompanied Ta-kun. Leaving just them to fight on their own. "I believe you have something that doesn't belong to you as well." She pointed at his quinque. "That is made out of some poor ghoul's kagune."

Takashi laughed as he ran a hand over the blade of his Ghost. It was a sword with another short blade attached to the handle. "So is yours. Did it belong to a friend?"

"Yes, it did." She growled as she flipped it over and fired at the man. He dodged a few and knocked the others away. "To think you aren't in Special Class yet, shame." Kairi spun her scythe around to knock Ta-kun's blade away.

They fought for a few minutes, but Kairi was soon realizing why Ta-kun was one of her father's most prized pupils. 'He's over powering me.' Kairi cursed under her breath as she jumped back and shot at the man again. But he was just running back into her strike zone.

The next moment happened slowly and too fast for Kairi. One moment she was ducking out of the way of a sword strike. And the next, she was knocked back with a kick to her stomach. She clutched her stomach as she pushed herself to her feet. A glint of light warned her of an incoming blade.

"You're not that strong after all, Black Widow." Takashi said as he knocked the woman's scythe blade away. She landed a kick to his knee. He grabbed a handful of her hair as he fell to his knee. The hair fell away, as well as the woman's mask, it had been a black silk ribbon he had grabbed. Takashi looked up with a smirk, he could finally know who Black Widow was. He froze when he came face to face with the ghoul vigilante. "Kairi-chan?"

Kairi had a hand over half of her face, but the damage was down. She swung at Ta-kun, getting a cut on his chest, but it wasn't deep. "Surprised, Ta-kun?" She kept a smirk on her face, they were enemies after all.

"But...you're a human. Why are you fighting for the ghouls?" Takashi yelled as he got to his feet. He looked down at the spider mask on the ground. He stomped on it, shattering it. "Are you a ghoul? We're your parent's ghouls? Don't lie to me!"

Kairi gave a sad look to her shattered mask. A glare glazed over her eyes when she looked back up at Ta-kun. "I'm human, and my parents were human. My friends are ghouls. And so is my family." She lifted her scythe and shot at the man, landing a shot on his shoulder. "I am your enemy, Ta-kun. And I will kill you with my father's quinque if I must."

"So you don't want to kill me." Takashi asked with narrowed eyes. The ghouls had to be controlling Kairi in some way. She could never be a ghoul sympathizer, not after everything they did to her and her family. "Then lay down your weapon and surrender."

Kairi shook her head. "Not happening. Not while I have people to protect." She launched herself at the man and renewed her attacks. But something was different, Ta-kun was easily avoiding and blocking her attacks. 'He wasn't taking me seriously before.' She realized as Ta-kun kicked her away once more, but she stayed on her feet this time.

Takashi could see the men he had brought with him were falling to the four ghouls that were with Kairi. They must be her guards or captors of some sort. "I will free you from whatever hold they have over you." He renewed his attacks, not holding back this time. He had been holding back before, not wanting to exhaust himself too soon in the operation.

Kairi was on the defensive. And she was hard pressed to keep dodging and blocking al of Ta-kun's attacks. But he never seemed to be going for her, just her weapon. 'Is he trying to break Scarlet?' She lifted the blade to block a jab from the investigator. He eyes widened as the blade pierced the blade and nearly hit her eye. Then in an instant, Ta-kun's blade twisted, shattering Scarlet's blade. "Hikari-chan." Kairi whispered as the shards of red metal feel into the snow.

Takashi let out a breath as he walked up to Kairi. The girl fell to her knees in shock. "It's over, Kairi. Let me help you." He offered his hand to the broken and lost woman.

Kairi looked up at Ta-kun with tears streaming down her face. "I'll never forgive you!" She shouted as a pair of kagune shot at the man from her back. She got back to her feet as her generals landed by her side. "Careful, this one should be considered Special Class."

"Like Arima?" Wolf asked with a frown. "Then this is going to take everything we got." He tensed as the Investigator prepared to attack again. "You should retract your kagune, Black Widow. You said it yourself, if you use it, it will kill you."

"Not like I asked for these things." Kairi said as she pulled the two claws back into her body. She coughed up a bit of blood, but it was minimal. "Not much I can do without Scarlet." She looked at the long pole in her hand. All of the mechanics for the gun had been in the pieces holding the blade on. And when the blade shattered all of the pieces holding it together had fallen apart. She spun the staff around. "At least I'm not completely useless."

"Leave this to us." Brown Recluse stated as he ran at the investigator. "Spiders always-" He stopped as he landed on his face. He pushed himself up, not feeling his legs. "Wha-" He coughed as a blade sunk into the back of his neck.

Kairi stared as Ta-kun pulled his quinque out of Brown Recluses unmoving form. The Dove just gave them a smile as he pointed his blood stained sword at them. "Who is next?"

Kairi was stunned as the others shouted in rage and charged. "Wait?" She tried to speak, but they were gone. She ran after them, slipping a bit on the ice and snow. She froze as Ta-kun ran his sword through Crabs's head. "No." She picked up her pace, but Wolf was falling, his chest cut open. "No!" Kairi felt her heart stop as Tarantula's mask fell to the ground after getting stabbed through the chest.

She caught the girl before she hit the ground. "Black Widow-sama?" Tarantula gave the sobbing woman a smile as blood trickled down her chin. "Don't look so sad. I get to go see my parents. Maybe I'll meet yours." Kairi held the girl tightly as she continued to bleed out, she had nothing to stop the bleeding but her own hands. "It was nice to work with you. My name is Haruhi, Jinosho Haruhi."

"I will remember you, Haruhi-chan. I'll remember all of you." Kairi whispered as she watched the light leave the girl's eyes. She tried to hold herself together, she still had an enemy to defeat.

"Kairi, let the ghoul go." Takashi watched as the woman sobbed over the monster that had twisted her mind. "You're free now."

Kairi shook her head as she shut Haruhi's eyes. "She was a good girl. And you killed her!" She unleashed all of her kagune as she got up and faced Ta-kun. The 8 claws aimed themselves at the investigator. "I will kill you, even if it kills me." She ran at the man, but he easily beat her back.

Takashi sighed as Kairi continued to fight him. "Kairi please, let us help you. We can remove those things from your body. We can make you you again." He grabbed the woman's shoulder and punched her in the stomach. "Make this easy on yourself. You don't have to go at it alone."

"I don't need your help!" Kairi stabbed the kagune at the Dove. He danced back from it. Kairi held her stomach with worry, he was landing too many hits. Her breath caught as she coughed up blood. Falling to her knees as she spit out a mouthful of the red liquid. She glared up at Takeda as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Die." She whispered as her claws dug into the man's body.

Takashi coughed up a bit of blood as he looked down at the woman. At some point during the fight, one of her eyes had become like that of a ghouls, red iris and black sclera. "You really are one of them." A smirked covered his face as he fell to the ground.

Kairi let out a breath, then coughed blood. She grimaced as she reached up and grabbed the blade sticking out of her chest. She fell back onto the snow as her head began to spin. She stared up at the dark sky and snow began to fall on her face. "So pretty." She whispered as her vision began to darken. "I'm sorry, Uta. I..." Her words fell away as she lost consciousness.

She didn't see her wounds begin to heal themselves faster than it would for a human. Nor did she know the price that had now been paid for her to keep life.

* * *

Yay! I love cliffhangers! I'm sorry.

And for Kairi's fighting outfit, basically picture Ruby's outfit, but with a red jacket instead of a long cape. And next we get into Tokyo Ghoul:re territory. As well as the HAITUS now begins, sorry.

Let me know what you thought of the chapter. Or if you wish to rage about cliffhangers. It amuses me when people leave such long comments about cliffhangers, and going on haitus.


	9. Waking Dream

I'm back. **But not for good. This story will be going back on HAITUS in a month or so.**

I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.

* * *

The world was dark and cold. Nothing lived and nothing died. This is where a dead woman found herself. Lost and alone. ' _Who am I?_ ' She thought as she lost herself to the empty feeling. Distant voices called to her, but they were getting further away. ' _Who was I?_ '

"Gah!" Sakuna Kuro sat up in her bed in a cold sweat. She pushed her long white hair out of her eyes as she woke up form her dream. It was always the same, crushing darkness and silence. She kicked the sheets off of her as she laid in her bed. "Damn nightmares."

Kuro wasn't scared of the dark at all. It was the silence. Kuro looked over and found her fan on low. She clicked her tongue as she got up and turned it back up to full power. The fan was pretty noisy, but the others should be used to it after having it run constantly for 2 years.

She looked over at the clock and sighed. "Only 2?!" She wished she could go back to bed. But some part of her never et her get back to sleep till it was exhausted. "Might as well take a shower." She gathered her things and went to the bathroom.

She lived in a relatively big house. But there were 6 of them living in it. This house was for the Quix team. A team of investigators with quinque implanted into their bodies. At least that was true for the younger investigators, they were only 2nd and 3rd class investigators. Her and Haise-kun were 1st class investigators. And they were in charge of mentoring the younger investigators.

Kuro sighed as she turned on the hot water and soaked herself in it. She then set it to fill her tub while she lathered. Most people thought she would spent hours bathing, since her hair was pure white. But it really wasn't that hard to clean. And if ever she got blood on it and it stained, she could just cut it off. But she hated cutting it, she liked her hair long.

Kuro stayed in the bath for an hour. Then she bundled herself up and walked back to her room. The others wouldn't be up for another few hours. She quickly dried her hair as much as she could before she braided it loosely behind her. She then put on a pair of sweatpants and a shirt before climbing up to the roof.

She watched the night pass in the quiet darkness of outside. It wasn't silent, there was still the sound of wind and all of the sounds it brought with it. It was never silent outside. "Couldn't sleep either?" Kuro looked over as Haise-kun sat down beside her. They had both shared the roof for some time now, even though at the beginning they had actively avoided each other.

"Someone turned off my fan." Kuro commented as she layer back on the roof and watched the stars flicker. "What about you? Another nightmare?" All she got was a nod from the man beside her. "It's better than nothing. Means you have things that haunt you. Things that prove you lived."

"I'm sure you had a good life." Haise spoke silently, but loud enough to interrupt Kuro. "Neither of us know what we were like before 2 years ago. So let's be happy with the life we have." He noticed one of Kuro's heads drift to her stomach. "Does it still hurt?"

"No. It feels empty." Kuro commented in a broken voice. "It's weird, I don't remember my life before, but I feel so guilty. I don't even know if I was even going to keep it. They said it was still early enough that I could have gotten an abortion." A tear fell down her cheek that she wiped away. "But, I wish I still had that piece of my old life. Maybe it could have told me who I loved. And they could have told me what I was like." She wiped her nose on the back of her hand. "But I guess it's for the best. Seeing as what we are."

"Yeah." Haise said as he looked over at the rising sun. "Another day."

Kuro nodded as she stood up. "Time to get ready for work." She walked over to where her window was and climbed back into her room. She grabbed her dress pants and slid them on, smiling as they hugged her curves. Next came her blouse and blazer. And lastly was her tie and heeled boots. She blew her self a kiss in the mirror after she had applied some lip stick and a bit of eye make up. "Ready to hunt ghouls." She picked up her quinque case as she left her room.

Despite her and Haise working together on mentoring the Quix, they took turns with the job. This month was Haise's turn. So this month, she was working on a case of her own.

"Good morning Sakuna-san." Kuro waved as she walked into work. First place she was heading to was the doctor's office. Today they were scheduled for a blood draw to do an RC count. She was greeted by a few other before she finally made it to the doctor's office. "Good morning Sakuna-san. Ready for your draw?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Kuro extended her arm to the doctor. He applied and RC suppressant to her skin before he poked the needle in. She usually had an RC count that was in the range of a ghouls, so her skin was as hard as one. "Anything new?"

"I heard Serpent has been active recently." The doctor said as he filled his vile of blood to take to the lab. He removed the needle and badged the puncture. "Maybe they'll call you in to help?"

Kuro chuckled at the thought. "Wouldn't that be fun. Have a ghoul hunt down a ghoul that's hunting ghouls. Won't that make everyone's head hurt." She chuckled as she waved goodbye and headed to her office. Her and Haise also shared an office at work, since only one of them was ever using it.

"Sakuna-san, a moment?" Kuro looked over to see Investigator Mado walking up to her. "I see you still aren't wearing a skirt."

"It's not mandatory for women to wear skirts." Kuro said with a raised eyebrow. "Besides, I fight better in pants. Is there something you need?"

Akira shook her head. "Arima-san just asked me to give you this." She handed the woman a note before she walked away.

Kuro frowned as she looked at the note. "Well then, looks like I need to find Hirako-san." She sighed as she walked down the hall to his office. She knocked on the door and waited.

"Enter." She opened the door and shut it behind her. "1st rank investigator Sakuna. I assume you got the memo then." Hirako waited till she was standing in front of his desk till he handed her a file. "Serpent is not an easy one. I was hoping you would be able to lend a hand." Kuro opened the file and leafed through it. "We haven't been able to find any motive to his actions. Or a pattern."

"He's looking for a particular ghoul obviously." Kuro flipped through the list of ghouls killed by Serpent. "As for his motive, the ghoul killed a friend of his? Someone close? Or maybe the ghoul got him kicked out of his territory." She looked at a map of the locations of where the bodies were found. "And by the looks of it he is just running around trying to find him. Where there any connections between the ghouls killed?"

Hirako shook his head. "We've tried that avenue. There is zero connection other than they are all ghouls."

Kuro chewed her lip as she continued to read through the list. "I'll have a look and see what I find." She gave Hirako a bow before she left his office. "Work work work. Why is there so much work?" She sighed as she rounded a corner, running right into Juuzou. "Sorry Juuzou, wasn't paying attention."

"It's alright." Juuzou picked himself up and helped Kuro up. "Is Sasaki around?"

Kuro chuckled a bit as Juuzou looked around for the other investigator. "No, he's out with the Quix. What are you up to?"

"Just going over files. Heard you got added into the Serpent case." Juuzou gave the woman a smile. "Be careful."

"No ghoul will kill me. You can count on that." Kuro gave the investigator a smile and wave before she walked by. She opened the folder once more and began reading. She easily avoided everyone as she walked, they were so loud. "By the looks of it, you're almost following Torso, Serpent." She smiled as she returned to her office. "Looks like I'm going out."

* * *

She had a skip in her step as she walked down the road towards the sight of Torso's last body dump. She looked around a bit, but found nothing. "Where are you, Serpent." She looked around her more carefully, catching the glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye. She walked over to the fence and looked around the corner. It was silent. "Nothing." She said disappointedly. "Looks like it's back to the office."

As she made her way back to the road she was surprised to see the Quix team walking in as well. "Haise-san! Everyone!" She waved at them all happily as they looked at her with gloomy faces. "Why the long face? Weren't you saying you were going to catch Torso today?"

"We did." Urie said dully. "We brought him in for interrogation."

Kuro looked at Haise with a confused look. "One of those days?" She understood what he was doing. They were both half ghouls, and hunting ghouls felt like they were betraying their own people. Even if they did still call themselves human. "At least you got him."

"Yeah." Haise said as he walked into the office building. He had a meeting to get to. "Can you take them home? I have to meet up with Mado-san."

Kuro gave her partner a nod. "I'll get 'em home safely. Have fun with Mado-san." She waved at him as he walked off to his meeting. "Let's go home kiddies. I'll make cake."

"Please no." Shirazu stared in horror at their second mentor. "No offence Sakuna-san, but your cooking is a little off. I mean, I know you don't eat human food, but you still insist on cooking."

Kuro chuckled at Shirazu's comment. "Well, I won't get better if I don't try." She chuckled as the three moaned. "Alright, I'll order pizza."

* * *

Kuro huffed as she laid her head on her desk. "Damn Serpent." She cursed as she looked over the files. It had been almost a month since she was added to the case team. And so far all they were hitting were dead ends. "Come out you slippery bastard."

"Sakuna-san?" Kuro looked at the door of her office. Hirako was standing in the doorway. "We've got. A lead, let's go." Kuro grabbed her quinque and hurried after the investigator. They arrived at the sight of a fight. A few investigators were already down while another pair were busy fighting the ghoul. "Don't let him escape."

Kuro narrowed her eyes as she watched the ghoul. His fighting was fluid and reserved, nothing flashy. She darted forward as Serpent spotted an opening in one of the investigator's movements. Her quinque snapped open and she blocked the ghoul with the shield form of her quinque. "Nice moves, Serpent." She smirked as the ghoul backed up in surprise. "Hirako-san, how many pieces do you want him in?" Kuro moved through the different forms of her quinque, there were four.

The shield collapsed into a gun, then extended into a sword, and finally lengthened and curved into a scythe. Depending on the number of pieces would determine which she would use, but she was partial to the scythe form. Unlike most quinque, which were only made with one kagune, hers was made of four kagune, which gave it it's different forms. It was the first of it's kind, but scientists doubt they would be able to find four kagune that were compatible enough to do it again.

"One preferably." Hirako stated as he kept the other investigator's back. Sakuna was a strong fighter, but she didn't take into account those around her. Or she just didn't care. "As long as the head and body are together, and he doesn't die form blood loss."

Kuro smiled as she launched herself at the ghoul, keeping her quinque in scythe form. He managed to block her attack, but she easily continued her attack without missing a beat. "You going to run?" She laughed as he tried to do just that. "Not going to help you." In an instant her scythe switched to it's gun form and she let out a barrage of bullets in his direction, but it seemed he was more agile than they thought, since he was able to dodge them all and run away. "Hey! Get back here!" She ran after him.

She found a smile on her face as she followed Serpent through the city. It had been a while since she had been on a chase like this. Her smile grew as Serpent stopped. "Done run-" Serpent turned and swiped at Kruo, knocking her into a cement wall.

"Sakuna-san!" Kuro looked over, Mutsuki, Shizaru, and Urie were kneeling on the ground. They looked like they were lost.

"I will have to stop you, that half dressed bastard is mine." Serpent growled. He noticed the three less skilled investigators ready for battle. "Come at me if you want."

Kuro got up as the others ran at the ghoul. She watched them to see how they would do. She expected them to do terribly, Serpent was a S class ghoul. But the kids weren't doing too bad, just a bit too by the book. And that showed as he avoided them and got past their formation.

She stepped between the ghoul and Mutsuki before Serpent could attack. "Please don't hurt my kids, otherwise I will have to tear you to pieces." She kicked the ghoul, knocking him back inot one of the overturned cars that were nearby. She looked over at the three Quixs. "Fall back you three. I will take over from here."

A roar from behind them drew their attention as Serpent launched his kagune at them. "Don't let your guard down." Haise commented to Kuro as he blocked the kagune attack. "Even if he is weaker than you." He watched as the ghoul assessed him. "He ran away from you?"

"Got a nice jog in." Kuro commented as she cracked her neck. "This guy has good instincts. Quinque won't be enough." She looked over at Haise with a raised eyebrow. "Want me to take him?"

"No, their my kids too." Haise said as he looked back at the three investigators behind him. "Call in Akira-san and Hirako-san." He faced the ghoul once more as he cracked his knuckle. "Stop me if I go too far." He didn't bothering looking to his partner, she was listening.

Kuro stepped back as Haise released his control on his RC cells. He darted frontward, kagune extended and kakugan burning brightly. She noticed the three behind her were staring in awe at their mentor. "Haise, don't go too far down that road." She whispered as she kept an eye on her half ghoul partner.

It didn't take long for anyone to see that Haise had lost control. In the instant she was by his side, Serpent had fled, but Kuro was more worried about Haise. He lashed out at her, but his moves were erratic and sloppy. She pulled a special epi pen out of her pocket. It had a suppressant coating the needle so it could break through the skin. Then a milder suppressant to be injected into the subject. She easily got around him and jabbed the needle into his neck. He slumped against her, regaining his breath and his control.

"Is he contained, Sakuna-san?" Kuro looked over calmly as Hirako and his team arrived. Hirako got a nod from the woman as she laid the ghouls investigator down. "Mado-san, I'll leave him to you."

Kuro cushioned Haise's head as he calmed down. Akira kneeled down beside the two. "What's your name?" Akira asked the man as he tried to control his emotions again. He looked like a mess.

"Sasaki Haise." Haise said firmly. "I'm a ghoul investigator for the CCG." With his control established, he was prepped for transportation by the medical staff that had arrived.

Kuro smiled sadly as Haise was shipped off to the CCG for a medical evaluation. "I'll be taking my leave then. I need to get Quix back in for a dress down." She informed Mado-san before walking over to her three investigators. They were still in shock. "Come on you three, let's go home."

"Is Sas-san alright?" Shirazu asked as Sakuna ushered them over to a CCG transport truck. "What was that?"

Kuro sighed as she got them all into the truck. She then walked around to the driver. "Get out. Classified briefing." She kept a straight face as the driver turned off the truck and handed her the keys as he got out. "Thank you." She climbed into the driver seat and started the truck. "Sasaki Haise and myself are not like you Quix. Where you all have quinque implanted into your body, Haise-kun and myself have actual organs from ghouls implanted into our bodies." She noticed them all stare at her in shock. "So we both have an extra clause on our contract. In the case that we lose control of our kagune, and are unrecoverable, we are to be treated as ghouls and exterminated."

"That's insane!" Mutsuki said as he looked at his mentor. "You both are humans, aren't you?"

Kuro gave the young investigator a small smile. "We were once. But we got experimented on and turned into the half ghouls we are now." She turned down the road toward the CCG. "We can't eat human food, but we can more easily evolve and grow stronger than ghouls."

"Then why do you both use quinque?" Urie asked as he looked at Sakuna's quinque. She had set it down on the passenger seat when she had ushered them all into the vehicle. "Wouldn't your kagune be stronger and more effective?"

"It would, but why risk the possibility of losing control." Kuro stated as she put the truck in park. "Besides, I like my quinque. It's unique."

"Why do you call it Spider Nest?" Shirazu's asked as he poked the quinque case.

"Because mine isn't made from one kagune, it's made from four." She noticed them all stare at the quinque in confusion. "It was a request by Arima-san. Seemed they worked best together rather than apart. And the ghouls that the kagune came from were leaders of the four divisions of one gang, The Spiders."

"I heard about them." Mutsuki said with interest. "Their leader, Black Widow, found them all at war with each other. She united them all and formed the underground gang. But she died along with her four generals during the extermination operation in 20th ward 2 years ago." The investigator stared at the quinque in shock. "Is Spider's Nest made from the quinque of the 4 generals?" A nod was the response from the 1st rank investigator. "What about Black Widow?"

"Sorry Mutsuki-chan, that's classified." She gave the kid a wink as she picked up her case and got out of the truck, leaving out that she didn't know the answer to that question. "Come on you three, let's get this over with." She ushered them all into the building, ready for a long day of recovery.

* * *

~Flashback~

Arima Kishou looked around the scene with a calculating look. 8 investigators were dead and 4 ghouls were dead. Then there was the curious case. Lying at his feet was a human. Snow partially covered her, but you could make out the large pool of blood around her. The miracle was that she was still breathing, shallowly, but breathing.

"Arima-sama, what shall we do with her?" The investigator beside him asked. They could see a shattered ghoul mask poking out from the snow. "By the look of the evidence, she's Black Widow."

"Her name is Shimoto Kairi. Her parents were investigators. Scarlet Fang was even her father's quinque." Arima could see the broken pieces of the scythe, there was no chance of repairing it. "But by the looks of it, she underwent the same experiment and Kaneki Ken." He nudged the woman's white hair with his foot.

"So, arrest her?" The woman asked in an almost worried voice.

Arima gave the woman a nod as he began to walk away. "Keep me informed on hers and Kaneki's conditions."

"Sir, what about the ghouls?" Arima looked at the four ghouls. They were the generals of the four Spider gangs. "As the first investigator on the scene you have first claim on them."

Arima looked over at the near dead girl that was being treated. "Scarlet Fang was made from a child Shimoto had befriended. It was destroyed. Should we not replace it with her four generals?" He noticed the color drain from the investigator's face. "See that it is done."

Hairu looked down at the injured woman with worry. She couldn't be any older than Arima-san. "We will help you." She stepped back as medical officers arrived and began treating her. She frowned seeing a fresh red color. "Is she still bleeding?"

An officer checked her wounds. "Not any that are apparent. We will know more once we reach the hospital at Cochlea." They moved the woman to a gurney before rolling her into an armored ambulance. "Are you coming, Ihei-san?" The woman nodded as she got into the ambulance and sat down beside the injured woman.

The medical officers worked as they rushed towards Cochlea. They had managed stabilize her, but she was still bleeding. They rolled her into the medical wing and started the full medical examination.

Ihei sat in the hall and waited. In the room beside Black Widow's was Centipede, also known as Eyepatch. Arima-san himself had sent the ghoul off for healing. Even though ghouls could heal themselves, things could always go wrong. "Why don't we just kill them?" She mumbled to herself as she waited for a medical report, Arima-san would want to see it.

"Excuse me, are you waiting for the medical reports?" A doctor walked up to the investigator with his clipboard. "Kaneki Ken has been cleared and moved to his assigned cell. He has not yet regained consciousness, but his life in is no danger. Shimoto Kairi will be monitored over night. Her wounds are taking longer to heal. As well as it seems she has suffered a miscarriage."

Hairu stared at the doctor in shock. "She was pregnant? Can we identify the father?" It was only fair to inform him of his child's death. And if he was a ghoul, maybe he was the one that turned Shimoto-san against them. Or knew who had.

"Unfortunately not." The doctor frowned as he put his clip board under his arm. "If the child had been part ghoul, then that would explain her sudden mutation. In sensing its mother death was eminent, it turned its efforts to saving her life, turning her into the ghoul she is now. However, it made itself human in the process. Her body ate the child in order to regain enough strength to regenerate herself."

Hairu wasn't sure if she felt disgust or sadness for the woman. "Thank you doctor. Please continue to send reports to investigator Arima Kishou." With that she left the hospital, unsure what to make of the newest wards of Cochlea.

* * *

Well that was fun. I thought I should add in a bit of insight of what happened to Kairi after she passed out. Nothing about Uta yet, since we haven't come across him yet. But it will come.

Another reminder that this story will be going on haitus in a month or so. If not, lucky you.

Let me know what you thought of the chapter. And I apologize to all of you that were looking forward to a baby...it had to be done.


	10. Purple

I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.

* * *

Kuro sighed as she leaned back in her chair. They were currently in a cafe. One of the people in the shop was their target, a ghoul, Nutcracker. The others had all sat as a group while she had opted to sit alone, since she had come in earlier than the others. Plus it was easier to listen when you didn't have others talking.

"Anything else I should add?" She watched as the female ghoul put a notepad away. "I would hate to miss out of a good payday."

Kuro frowned as she took a drink of her warm coffee. "That will be enough. Don't want to overflow the store room. It's just suppose to be a small auction after all." The man Nutcracker was talking to chuckled.

The sound of smashing glass drew everyone's attention to the other investigator group. Kuro cursed under her breath as Nutcracker stared at them. ' _There goes their cover._ ' She mused as she finished off her coffee. She closed her unread book and left money on the table to pay for the coffee. She walked out of the shop and down the road to their meeting place.

"How did it go?" Abara asked Sakuna-san, she was the first to return. "Do we know what is going on?"

"Not the entire story." Kuro pulled her hair down from it's bun. "Their cover got blown. But I picked up something." She braided her hair as they waited for the rest of their team to arrive. Once they were all together, Kuro shared. "Nutcracker is collecting people for an auction."

"We need to get in on that auction." Haise said as he tried to think of a plan. "We have that list right?" He got a nod from everyone. "Then we just have to try and fit into as many of those categories as possible."

"I don't like where this is going." Shizaru said while pulling his hood up.

"It's going to be dangerous." Kuro said while looking at Juuzou and his partner. "Anyone going in will be searched. It's going to have to be one of us."

"I can go." Juuzou said happily. "I have ways of getting things past people." He chuckled as he patted his hip with the artificial leg attached to it.

Haise nodded in acknowledgment. "For now, we shold go through the information we have about the auction." He looked around and saw more poeple starting to walk along the roads. "But this would be best discussed back at home. It's lunch time."

So they split into their two teams and went their separate ways. Once the Quix were all settled at home they started talking. "So, how are we going to get inot the auction?" Mutsuki asked with worry.

"We will become girls." Kuro snorted at Haise's attitude. He was acting like it was completely normal for him to cross dress. "It's mostly women on the list. So it will be easier for one of us to get picked up that way." He got a nod from everyone. "Sakuna-san, you and I will have to do something about our hair. We stand out too much."

"Right." Kuro played with a the end of her white braid. "I think I'll go purple this time. You still using the wig?" They had gone undercover many times before. It gave Kuro the chance to try out different colors on her hair.

"Yeah. But don't make it too bright of a purple. Remember the green hair?" He chuckled remembering how bright her hair had been. It blinded anyone when the light shined on it. And it was very easy to spot in the dark.

"Yeah yeah, no neon colors." Kuro waved him away as she got up from the couch. "I'm going to go take care of that." She nearly bounded up the stairs in excitement. She loved dying her hair. "I should really do this more often."

* * *

The next night, they got dressed up and went to the club. Nutcracker had been frequenting one club often lately. So it was the best place to get noticed by her.

"I kind of like this place." Kuro stated as she looked around. Her royal purple hair was tied in two high pigtails with mini buns at the top of them. And even with the extra detail to her hair, it still ended up falling past her shoulders. "We ready ladies?" She giggled as she looked at their group.

Haise gave his partner a smile. "Of course." He changed his voice so it sounded closer to that of a woman's. "Now remember, stay sober. We need to be able to remember all of the information about the auction."

"Not a problem. I don't think anyone is going to be buying Shirazu any drinks." Saiko chuckled as the man glared at her. "I'm just saying, even maman is cuter than you."

"Well I knew this wouldn't work. No woman is as big as me." Shirazu complained as he fiddled with his top. "And blame Tooru, he's the one that did this to me."

"Well I did the best I could." Mutsuki shrugged. "And what do you expect when you have such low quality things to work with." She chuckled as Shirazu yelled at her.

"Alright, let's get to work." Kuro said as she walked away form the others. She wasn't too worried about them, her and Haise were nearby. What worried her was what Nutcracker would do.

After several minutes of walking and dancing, a tap on her shoulder pulled her out of her thoughts. She turned and looked curiously at the woman standing in front of her. "May I have a word with you?" Kuro nodded as she followed Nutcracker to a quieter part of the club. "Thank you for speaking with me. I have a job offer for you."

"Really?" Kuro asked in amazement. Was purple hair on the list? Or long hair? "Wow. Never thought I would get a job while clubbing."

"It's just for one night. Pay depends on you." Nutcracker said coolly. "It's at an auction house for some very exclusive clients."

"Wow. So they have a lot of money? Sounds like the pay will be very good." Kuro said, playing the part of the unknowing human. "Where should I meet you? What should I wear?"

"Wear something that shows off who you are, like your hair does." Nutcracker ran a piece of the human's hair through her fingers, it was soft. "As for meeting place, how about just outside the club. I can pick you up and we can head over together."

"Sure. Will there be anyone else?" Kuro was happy she had gotten in so easily. Maybe they could leave before anyone else got picked up for the job. "Oh, I forgot to ask the date."

"It's August 11th. And we might have other people coming along. It depends on if I find anyone else that meets the criteria." Nutcracker gave the woman another look over before she began to walk away. "Be here at 5 on August 11th. Don't be late." With the last instruction given, the ghoul vanished into the crowd.

Kuro smiled as she walked in the opposite direction than Nutcracker. ' _Now to find everyone else and get out of here._ ' She began searching the club for the others. She found three of them against a wall talking. "Found you all. Where's Mutsuki?" She asked as she figured out which one is missing.

Haise pointed to the last member of their team, she was speaking with Nutcracker. "Looks like Mitsuki got picked." He said with a bit of worry in his voice. He watched as Nutcracker walked away, not even look their way as Mutsuki made a beeline for them. "Good work Mutsuki."

Mutsuki saluted Haise happily. "I got all of the intel we need. Now let's dance!" She exclaimed as she grabbed onto Saiko and Urie and dragged them onto the dance floor.

' _She's drunk._ ' Kuro chuckled as she realized what was different about the girl. "Looks like we have two on the inside." Haise gave her a curious look. "Nutcracker picked me up almost as soon as we got here. I'm glad, it means I can keep an eye on her." She watched as the four kids started dancing with each other. "It'll be nice to have a break before this all goes down."

"Yeah." Haise smiled as he watched the Quix fumble around each other.

* * *

The weeks seemed to fly by. Soon it was time for the operation to bring down the auction house to begin. Mutsuki and Kuro would be going into the auction along with Juuzou. The three of them would find out as much as they could before calling for reinforcements.

Kuro braided her hair and twisted it up into a bun and pinned a happy face onto the side of it. She was in a little black dress with a wide, bright yellow belt at her waist and a purple sweater over top. She had ankle length black boots and purple tights. "Perfect." She smiled a herself in the mirror before opening her door and leaving without her quinque. Spider Nest would have to stay behind for this mission to be a success.

"You ready?" Kuro looked to see Haise waiting with everyone else. Mutsuki looked nervous. But Juuzou surprised her the most. He looked like a doll. "Let's go then. Kuro, you will be arriving first. Mutsuki and Juuzou will follow 7 minutes later. We don't know if anyone will be watching, so act like you don't know each other."

"Got it." Kuro accepted an earpiece from Haise and placed it in her ear. She patted Mutsuki on the shoulder as the girl walked by her. "It's gonna be alright. Both Juuzou and myself will be right there with you." They all got into the vehicles, heading out to the drop off site.

The drive to the club was quiet. They stopped in a back alley and Kuro got out. She was standing in front of the club with 15 minutes to go. "So glad it's not too cold or windy out." She commented as she crossed her arms to wait. She had guessed her phone would be confiscated, so she had left it at the house. So she stood around and waited with nothing to do.

The minutes slowly ticked by, but soon Mutsuki and Juuzou walked around the corner to join them. "Are you waiting for someone?" Juuzou asked in an angelic voice.

Kuro had a hard time not just staring at the man in shock. "Y-yeah. I'm heading off to a job."

"What a coincidence, so are we." Juuzou gave Kuro a smile. "I'm Jiza. And this is my friend Mutsuki."

"I'm Kuro." She gave Juuzou a friendly smile. The guy could act really well.

"Kuro? Guess that makes sense. Do you always wear black?" Juuzou asked as a joke. He knew how much it irked Kuro anytime someone mentioned how her hair was white. "And your hair is so pretty. Is it purple? Do you dye it?"

Kuro bit the inside of her cheek, Juuzou was playing with her. "I do wear black a lot. And I did dye my hair." Luckily she didn't have to endure anymore teasing, a car had pulled up. The window rolled down and Nutcracker waved them inside. Kuro opened the back door and they all climbed into the backseat.

"Good, you all made it." Nutcracker put the car in drive and they drove away form the club. The doors locked themselves as they drove, a safety feature on the car. "Thank you all for coming."

"No problem." Kuro said with a smile. "Although I wonder what two cuties like this can do at an auction." She teased as she played with a piece of Mutsuki's hair. The girl blushed instantly.

"You would be surprised." Nutcracker said ominously. As they drove on the three in the back started to drift. The drug in the back was working perfectly. Nutcracker smiled to herself when the last of them finally fell asleep. "Bring me the big money tonight ladies."

* * *

Kuro was in hell. Everything around her was pitch black and there was no sound to be heard. She panicked as she tried to move, but it felt like she was in water. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. This was her worst nightmare.

She snapped awake. Looking around she sighed as she heard the sound of applause coming from far above her. There was enough light filtering in through cracks that she could see the inside of the crate she was in. "Just a dream." She said as she hugged herself. The dark still bothered her, but the silence had always been worse. "Guess I just wait for my turn."

She could hear something like a forklift moving around as the minutes ticked by. She tried her com a few times, but it seemed to have broken at some point, or she was out of range. But her thoughts were interrupted as her crate began moving. "My turn." she said to herself as she waited to see if they would let her out.

The sudden light was blinding as the lid to her crate was pried open. "Is that?" Kuro looked up and found two ghouls staring at her wearing clown masks. "Kairi-chan?" Kuro looked over at the female ghoul as she called her by someone else's name. But it sounded familiar. Was it a friend? "Call for an intermission." The woman told her male coworker as she dragged the human out of the box.

Kuro numbly followed the ghoul as she pulled her out of the crate and sat her down on a chair. She didn't know this ghoul, did she? She felt vaguely familiar, but hadn't she dealt with ghouls like this before? Nothing was making sense in her mind anymore. She felt as if she was in one of her dreams, detached. And the ghoul's behavior wasn't helping her in figuring things out, ghouls didn't act like this.

"Drink this." Kuro looked up as the ghoul handed her a glass of water. "You probably still have one of the drugs in your system." Kuro accepted the glass and took a sip of it, it was plain water. "Is that idiot actor sold yet? We need to get Uta-san in here."

Kuro's head snapped to attention at the name, she knew it. "...Uta..." She dropped her glass as a sharp pain pierced through her mind in several places. She shut her eyes tightly, bursts of laughter sounded in her ears as bright red eyes burned in her vision.

"Kairi-chan?" Roma was worried when the woman started shaking. She looked to be in pain. The curtain opened, drawing her attention. "Uta-san." She stepped aside to let the ghoul see why they had called him in.

Uta froze when Roma stepped to the side. "It can't be." He pulled his mask off and approached the woman. Her hair was a deep purple that sat perfectly on her head. Her hands were shaking as she held onto her head. But it was the smell that drew him in. "Kairi."

Kuro looked up and stare at the man towering over her. Her headache was pounding, but she was too busy watching him. Drinking in all of his features as though she had missed seeing them. The more she looked the more she wanted to jump up and hug him, he could take the pain away.

Uta slowly knelt down in front of her, reaching out and holding her face. "Kairi." His voice was like heaven to her ears. "I thought you were-" He cut himself off as he heard someone walk up to the tower they were in. He replaced his mask and stood in front of Kairi.

A ghoul walked in and looked around. "Is everything alright?" He asked as he looked around the room. He could smell a human in the room. "Find something you like?"

"Very much so." Uta said as he walked up to the man. "I apologize for the delay. Shall we continue?" As if on cue another crate came up from the floor. The other man left and they were left alone. "Roma, get Kairi out of here. The CCG should be arriving shortly."

Kuro continued to stare at the tall male as Roma pulled her to her feet. "Come on Kairi-chan, we need to get you to safety. We're so glad you're alright." Roma sniffled as she hugged the woman. "We thought you died back in 20th ward."

"I died?" Kuro stared at the ghoul that was hugging her. Part of her just wanted to comfort her, but the other part of her knew she would just be in more pain when she had to kill the girl. The girl released her and they began running through the back halls of the auction hall. Kuro tried to pull free, but the ghoul had a firm grip on her. "I think you have me mistaken with someone else Roma-chan-" Kuro stopped as she stared at the ghoul. The image of a smiling girl with no mask took the place of the masked ghoul. "...roro-chan..." She whispered as the girl just stared at her.

Roma felt tears building in her eyes, no had called her by Kairi's little nickname in 2 years. "Kairi-chan." She paused when she looked at Kairi again, something was different, she had a determined look and was staring down the hall they had come through. "Kairi-chan?"

"This scent...Mutsuki." Kairi turned back down the hall and began running. Roma grabbed onto her to try and stop her. "I can't leave her."

"But if you go back they will catch you." Roma tried pulling her back, but the human was stronger than she looked. "Have you been working out?"

"Let me go!" Kuro spun around and threw the ghoul hanging onto her arm. The force of the throw sent the woman through a nearby wall. Kuro climbed through the hole and smiled as she found herself in a main waiting area. "Now to find Mutsuki."

"Sakuna-san!" Kuro looked behind her, slightly surprised to see Hirako running up a flight of stairs. "Where is the rest of the infiltration team?" He located a ghoul lurking above them, she had a clown mask. He stepped between Sakuna and the Clown. "Go find them, we will take care of the clowns."

"Get away form her." A cold dark voice came from the top of a tress above them. They both looked up to see a ghoul with a bird mask with multiple holes on one half of the mask.

"No-Face." Hirako growled as he pulled up his quinque. "Sakuna-san, go find your kids."

Kuro nodded as she took off up the stairs towards the auditorium. She was stopped by Roma standing between her and the doorway out of the waiting area. "Out of my way Roro-chan."

"You won't hurt me." Roma said as she walked closer to the woman. "That's not the type of person you are, Kairi-chan."

"You don't know me." Kuro could hear fighting taking place behind her. She had to go forward. "If you don't move, I will go through you." She extended her top pair of kagune, activating her kakugan."

Roma stared in shock, when had Kairi been a One-Eye? She knew about the kagune, but she had never had a kakugan. "What did they do to you?"

Kuro launched herself at the small ghoul and Roma dodged her attack. But it seemed they weren't letting her leave that easily. Roma's kagune had grabbed her and threw her back towards the other investigators. Kuro flipped herself over and glared at the clowns. "Fine, you want it this way?" She growled as her other three pair of kagune extended themselves out of her back. "Then I'll play with you, Clown."

Kuro used her kagune to pull herself up into the rafters. Roma followed her with her agility and ghoul abilities. But Kuro had the advantage with her skill and multiple kagune. She came to a stop beside Hirako as he faced No-Face. "Shall we tag team, Hirako-san?" She raised an eyebrow as the investigator stood beside her on the tress while she suspended herself with her kagune. Her eyes fell on the forms of No-Face and Roma who had moved to stand by each other.

Hirako calmly looked over at Sakuna, she had much greater control over her kagune that Haise, but only when she used less than half of them. But she could still stave off the madness from using all four of them, her mind wasn't as fragile as Sasaki's. "You lose yourself, I will kill you." He launched himself forward, Sakuna following with her kagune.

Kuro stayed out of Hirako's way, but cut in to block while he got into a better position or to hold the enemy in place. She noticed No-Face seemed to be hesitating ever so slightly against her. Even Roma was being gentle with her. "You're gonna get killed that way." She stated as she dug a claw into No-face's chest. The ghoul then blocked Hirako's attack with his arm. "You Clown." She was surprised to find her voice did not sound as she had intended, it was teasing not mocking.

Uta gave Kairi a faint smile. He could tell she did not remember him, but a small, sleeping part of her did. He pushed the investigator away and jumped away with Kairi. "Let me help you."

Kuro froze, she heard that before. Her body felt cold as she looked up at No-face. But she could see a different face. "Ta-kun?" The illusion was broken when a quinque got between them. Kuro looked over to see Hirako had thrown his quinque. She looked back at No-Face, but he was gone, he wasn't anywhere to be seen. "Damn it!" She cried as she slammed her kagune into the tress she was standing on.

"Sakuna-san, go get your kids." Hirako said as he walked closer to the half ghoul. Sakuna nodded as she pulled Hirako's quinque out of the wall beside her. She tossed it to him before she retracted her kagune and jumped to the ground and running off down a hall.

Kuro ran down the hall, pushing herself so she would focus on her breathing rather than the thoughts in her head. All that she was thinking of was No-Face, Uta. She couldn't tell the others who he was. She couldn't betray him. ' _Why do I care so much?_ ' She shook her head as she continued to run, she had to find Mutsuki. That was her job.

* * *

~Flashback~

The sirens had stopped ringing outside. The sirens had been going off ever since the sun had set. It was there to tell people to remain in their homes, a ghoul extermination was taking place.

Uta sighed as he sat at his desk, unfinished work in his hands. Making a mask usually took his mind off of things, but it wasn't working tonight. Even the party with the other Clowns didn't interest him. All he could think about was Kairi, worried if she was alright. Her generals were very strong, but Kairi tended to run off on her own. "Thought I got you out of your suicidal habits." He chuckled as he set down his things and turned the light off at his work station.

"Uta-san?" Uta looked over as the little girl he was watching came in through the door to the third floor stairs. "The noise stopped. Is it over?" Hinami rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She wanted to go and check on her friends.

"Sounds like it." Uta walked over to her and placed a hand on her head. "Go back to sleep, we will go see how everyone is in the morning. Or they'll be here when you wake up." He gave her a gentle smile as she nodded and walked back up the stairs to her room.

The whole building was silent as Uta stood in the dark basement. Hinami was up on the third floor in Kairi's old room. He wasn't sure where Itori had gone, probably out drinking, or at the Clown party. It felt so empty without Kairi home, just like when she had been off at Anteiku.

A knock at the back door bounced of the walls and down the stairs. Uta took the stairs three at a time, hoping the wait was over. He opened the door and wasn't too surprised to find Yomo and Touka standing outside. "It's over." Yomo said as his friend let him into the house. "20th ward is now free of active ghouls." He pulled his jacket off and hung it on a hook.

Uta nodded at his friend, then turned to Touka. "Hinami-chan is upstairs. Third door on the right." The girl nodded before walking off towards the stairs. He waited till she was out of sight and sound before speaking again. "Where are the others?"

Yomo said nothing for the longest time. "There are no others." He could feel his nails biting into his palms. "Yoshimura, Irimi, Koma, Kaneki, Kairi...they're gone."

Uta felt the ground fall away form him. Then he hit the floor and just sat there. She was gone, Kairi wasn't coming back. "I should have been with her."

"You would have been dead-" Yomo grabbed Uta's fist as the ghoul leapt up and swung at him. "Uta, get ahold of yourself. You knew this was a possibility, Kairi knew this was a possibility. Hell she probably thought this would have happened a long time ago. Running around with the two of us." Uta fell back to the ground, visibly shaking. "I'm sorry, Uta. There's nothing we could have done. Human's can't do the things we do."

Uta nodded as his friend spoke. He kept his head down, not wanting to see anyone. "You can take the couch upstairs, or Itori's room, she's out." He got up and went back down to his dark, deserted basement. He didn't bother turning on the lights, he didn't want to see anything. Kairi needed him to turn on the light to see, or he would just carry her. But now that would never happen again.

* * *

See, told you there would be Uta, even if it does break my heart.

Let me know what you thought of the chapter.


	11. Playing Ghoul

I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.

* * *

Kuro looked up at the shop they were standing outside of. HySy looked like a very interesting shop. "So, how did you find this place?" Kuro looked over at Haise as he began ushering everyone inside.

Haise shrugged as he went in last. "Got a package sent to me. Apparently it went to the wrong address, but Uta-san let me keep it." He looked around the shop and waved as the shop owner came out from the back. "Hey Uta-san, brought everyone."

"So it would seem." Uta smiled at them all. He paused on Kairi, but she was staring at a mask on his wall. "So, who shall I start with?"

"These kind of make you look like a ghoul." Shirazu stated as he looked at a mask that was on a mannequin. He wondered how such a strange shop could stay in business.

Haise picked a mask up and tried it on. He brought it back down and looked at Shirazu. "That's the point. We are going to become ghouls." The other Quix stared at Haise in surprise.

"What?" Shirazu asked in shock. "First it's girls, now ghouls?! What's next? Dogs?"

"I'll start with the quiet one." Uta said as he sat Saiko down. "So, what do you like?" He asked as he started taking measurements of the girl's head.

Kuro chuckled as Saiko started listing off things, some multiple times. She was having even more trouble as Uta just started messing with the girl and measuring useless things. He then moved on to Shizaru, angling his face and making the boy's face turn red. He repeated the same process of annoying the kids whiled doing his job for each one.

"Your turn." Uta gave Kairi a smile as she slowly walked over and sat on the chair in front of him. "So, what do you enjoy?"

Kuro's mind went blank as she watched him work. His hands were gentle and his touch was light. "I like cooking, but apparently I'm no good at it. I like taking walks in the dark. And hanging from places. Hanging is always fun."

"Not when you eaves drop." Kuro giggled at Shirazu's annoyed comment. It wasn't her fault the kids decided to make secret plans without checking for eaves droppers.

Uta chuckled lightly. "Sounds like you're part spider." He noticed how the comment made Kairi freeze for a moment. "Alright, that should do it."

"Thank you, Uta-san." Haise thanked the mask maker as he ushered everyone out of the shop. "We'll be back to pick them up when they are done."

"Alright. Shouldn't take me more than a week to get them all done." Uta stated as he started pulling out materials. He already had an idea for all of the masks.

Haise nodded as he left the store. "So, anyone hungry?" He got a hand from each of the kids. "Alright, shall we stop somewhere for food, or pick something up to make?"

"Can we go out?" Shirazu asked. "It's been forever since we've been out together like-" He froze as he caught sight of movement. "Looks like we have a ghoul." In an instant him and Urie took off after the ghoul.

"Urie! Shirazu!" Haise called after the two, but they were blocked by a pair of men in white suits. "White...suits..."

"Aogiri Tree." Kuro stated as she snapped open her quinque case, sword form. "Mutsuki, Saiko, go back up Urie and Shirazu. Sasaki and myself will deal with these two." She blocked an attack from the two men as they tried to stop the two younger investigators. "You will not touch them."

The ghoul chuckled as they attacked the two 1st rank investigators. "Not bad for humans." A ghoul commented as the two easily blocked and redirected their attacks. "Let's see how you deal with this." He launched his kagune at them from above.

"Sakuna!" Haise said as he took pushed one of the ghouls away. "You deal with him. I've got this one.

Kuro grinned. "You got it." She brought out her own kagune and blocked the incoming attack from above. "You'll have to try harder." Her kagune opened into a claw on the end and dug into the opponent kagune pullI got him to her. "Unless you wish to die here." She threw the ghoul towards the concrete wall of the parkade, breaking through it. She followed in after it not wanting to lose him. "Come on out." She shifted her quinque into gun form.

"Damn half ghoul!" Kuro ducked under a swipe form the ghoul's kagune. "You're closer to us than humans. Why are you on their side?" He renewed his attacks, but the investigator was just moving out of the way. "Hold still!"

Kuro did as the man asked, catching his kagune in her own. "You asked for it." Two more kagune sprouted from her back, aiming to impale the ghoul or hold him in place for her to shoot him. But a sudden flurry of movements pulled the ghoul out of her reach and back through the opening in the wall. "Damn it." She growled as her kagune retreated back into her body.

"Sakuna-san!" Kuro looked up to see the four younger investigators run towards her, they were unharmed. "Where's Sasaki-san?" Mutsuki asked as he looked around.

"I'm here." Haise said as he climbed in through the hole in the wall. "What was that all about?" His gaze followed the direction the ghouls had fled. It didn't make sense for them to attack but retreat so quickly.

"Who knows. A warning maybe?" Kuro wondered as she followed Haise's gaze, there was no sigh of the ghouls. "Whatever their objective was, it's a mystery to us. Let's get back. It's late and we are all tired." Everyone agreed and they left the scene, still confused about what had just happened.

* * *

Kuro had her arms crossed as they sat in their meeting discussing what to do about Rose. And their possible connection with Aogiri Tree. "I don't think this was anything more than a one time thing." She stated in their discussion. "But we won't know unless we get more intel."

"Which is why I want you to reconsider my operation idea." Haise met Investigator Ui's gaze head on. "We can get the intel we need. Maybe even more than we need."

Ui looked around the room, many people were considering Operation Mask seriously. "Alright, let's vote. All those in favor of conducting Operation Mask?...And all those opposed?" She sighed seeing the results of the vote. "4 against and 7 for. Sasaki-san, Sakuna-san, you may proceed with Operation Mask."

Kuro grinned at the results. "We won't fail." She looked back over at the rest of their team. They looked worried and excited at the same time.

* * *

Uta smiled as he sat in one of the chairs at :re. "What has you so happy?" Yomo asked seeing his friend's unusual happiness. He had been moody and depressed for a long while. But ever since the Auction he had been in this bright cheery mood, but today was a much different cheerfulness, almost giddiness. "Did you find her again?" Uta had mentioned that he had found Kairi, but she also wasn't Kairi, her name was Sakuna Kuro.

"Even better, I made friends with both Sakuna and Sasaki." Uta happily sipped on his coffee. "She's not as different as I thought she would be. She still love heights and loves to cook, but I guess she doesn't know how to cook with human food. And she is still so cute when she blushes." He chuckled remembering how she had a hard time looking at him.

"She didn't give you up to the Doves?" Yomo frowned thinking of what that could mean. "She saw your face, knows your name, and can identify you easily. And she's an investigator, but she has kept your identity secret? Is she blackmailing you?"

"Nope." Uta set his cup down. "It gives me hope, that Kairi's still there. She just needs to remember. But that would mean giving up the life she has now. Giving up the safety and happiness she has found without me." He stared down into the empty cup with a sad look. "Yomo, what should I do?"

Yomo just gave his friend a shrug as he grabbed Uta's empty cup. "That's up to you. She's not mine, she's yours." He continued cleaning cups as silence fell between them.

"I should go. I have an order to finish." Uta set money down on the counter before he left the cafe. The walk back to his shop was silent. The store was even quieter. "Time to finish." He sat down at his desk and continued working. He had one mask left to make, Sakuna's. "The Eye-Patch and the Black Widow returns." He mused as he set about redesigning Kairi's mask, changing the look of it a little bit.

As Uta worked his eyes slowly drifted to a box he kept in the corner of his work desk. On impulse he set pieces down and pulled the box towards him. He took a deep breath before pulling the lid off and looking down at the contents of the box. He picked up a small piece of red metal, Scarlet Fang. Then picked up a piece of Kairi's shattered mask. He twirled the black spider leg as he looked back over at the mask he had yet to start. "Why not?"

He started over, this time using the pieces of Scarlet Fang and Kairi's mask. As he continued to work on Sakuna's mask, his eyes drifted back to the box. There were a few pictures of the old shop, they had had to burn it down and moved shop after word got out that Kairi had been Black Widow and was fighting against the CCG. And tucked into the box, in a plastic bag, were four pregnancy tests, all positive. Uta dropped the bag and placed the lid over the box before pushing it back into the corner, that time was over, now it was time to move on.

* * *

Kuro looked up at the large door of HySy. She took a deep breath before pulling the door open and walking in. "Uta-san?" She asked as she looked around curiously. She smiled as she looked up at all of the masks, there was something comforting about having them watching.

"Welcome back, Sakuna-san." Uta gave the woman a smile as he came out from the back. "I'll grab your order." He picked a bag up from beside the back door and walked out to meet her. "5 masks, as ordered."

Kuro smiled as she took the bag form him. "Thank you." She paused as she met his black and red eyes, they were mesmerizing. "You wouldn't give yourself away if you changed your eyes and covered your tattoos, No-face."

Uta kept the smile on his face as he leaned down closer to her's. "Who says I'm trying to hide, Sakuna Kuro." She looked away from him as a blush spread on her cheeks. He smirked as he leaned in a bit closer. "Why do you look away? Are you scared-"

"No." Kuro interrupted him as she turned back to face him. Her breath caught in her throat, their lips where a breath away from each other. "I...I don't know." Her eyes slip closed as Uta's lips pressed against hers. She sighed happily as his tongue invaded her mouth, tasting her fully. A moan escaped Uta's throat and snapped her mind back into focus. She pushed him away, blush rushing down her neck. "I'm sorry. That was unprofessional of me." She took a step back from the ghoul with her bag of masks, unable to look at him at all. "Thank you, Uta."

"Let me know how they fit. I like seeing them well worn." Uta felt his heart constrict as he watched her leave his store. But he let her go with a smile, he would never force her to remember. One thing he was very glad about was that she tasted like herself, Sakuna Kuro was Shimoto Kairi. And he would wait for her to remember.

Kuro let out an exasperated sigh once she was outside of the store. She had never felt so attracted to a person before. And a ghoul of all people. "Great, we're supporting the business of a clown." She chuckled under her breath as she continued down the road to the car. She had taken the car since the others weren't going anywhere.

She got home in record time, her mind traveling back to the kiss she had shared with Uta. It shocked her how comfortable she was addressing him by just his name, like she had been doing it for ages. She walked into the house in a daze, not seeing everyone stare at her in curiosity. She sat on the couch and melted into it, trying to think through things.

"Sakuna-san is slouching." Shirazu commented in shock. Their second mentor never slouched, lazed about, or did anything lazy. She didn't even sleep in on days off. "Is she okay?"

Haise walked over and sat down beside Sakuna. "Is everything alright?" He saw her snap back to reality. She blushed as she sat up and straightened out her clothes. They would definitely have to talk about this later. "Did you get the masks?"

Kuro nodded as she handed everyone their mask. She pulled out her own mask and stared at it in wonder, it looked like a large black widow spider. The body sat on her forehead and nose while the legs made the eye holes and the rest of the mask. Her mouth would be exposed, with the spider's own fangs sitting on her lip, giving her the illusion of fangs.

"These are awesome!" Shirazu commented as he placed his mask on his face. It's square shape and simple design really fit him. "So, when are we going out?"

"Tonight." Haise said as he got up to go to his room. "Go change your clothes. We will leave once we are all ready."

Everyone nodded as they took their masks up to their room to find clothes that would fit their disguise of being a ghoul. Kuro stared at her mask the entire time she walked to her room. She was drawing a blank on what to wear. A part of her wanted to wear something flashy and red, while another part argued that black is the normal color for ghoul outfits.

She finally settled on a pair of lack leather pants and a leather jacket. The small part of her that wanted color had a small victory, she had grabbed a red scarf and tied it around her neck. She was the second person downstairs, Haise being the first. She grabbed her knee high leather boots and tied them on as she waited for the others

After a few minutes the other four came downstairs. "Alright, let's go." Haise grabbed the keys to the car and ushered everyone outside.

"Where are we going?" Saiko asked as she walked out the front door. "And what about Kuna-san? There isn't enough room."

"I'm following on my bike." Kuro said as she grabbed her helmet from it's spot by the front door. "Where are we heading?" She tucked her red scarf further into her jacket, she didn't want it flying off while she rode.

"8th ward. Better to do this outside of our own ward. Besides, there are no ghouls in 1st ward." Haise shut and locked the door once everyone was out. "Let's go." He opened the car and got into the driver's seat.

Kuro followed the others on her bike. She stayed a bit of a ways back, but it was easy enough to keep track of them. Soon they parked in a parkade in 8th ward. Kuro shut her bike off and put her helmet in the trunk of the car. "Masks on." She slid her mask on and adjusted it so she could see out of the eye holes. Despite her having to look through the space between the legs, her vision wasn't that hindered.

"Whoa, we look like ghouls." Mutsuki stated as she put her mask on. "So, what are we doing?"

Haise put his mask on and looked at the others. "We are going to collect information. Saiko, Shirazu, you're together. Urie, Mutsuki, you two are paired up." He got a nod from the two groups. "Meet us on the roof of the building north of us." He pointed north to make sure they were all on the same page. "Sakuna-san, you're with me."

Kuro nodded as she pulled her red scarf out of her jacket. "See you all in a four hours." She and Haise walked out onto the main floor of the parkade before using their kagune to get up to the roof. The kids could go off on their own, they trusted them not to get killed. "So, where do you want to start?" She looked over at Haise as he watched city.

"Do you smell the group south of here?" He asked as he looked out across the dark streets.

Kuro nodded as she caught the scent. "They're several blocks down. Want to go see?" She got a nod from her partner and they were off. They surveyed the area once they were above the group of 3 ghouls. "Seems like they are hunting."

"Let's ask them." Haise stated before he jumped to the ground, Kuro following him. "Hello there."

The ghouls froze as they caught sight of the two newcomers. "It's Eye-patch." One of them stated in shock and fear. "Is that Black Widow? I though she was dead." Another whispered as they all retreated down the road, panic evident in their movements.

Haise and Kuro watched the ghouls in shock and confusion. Who did they think they were? "That was weird." Kuro stated as she looked around the road. It was empty. "We should move. No doubt whoever they think we are, aren't welcome here. Don't want to get in trouble with whatever ghoul is in charge of them in this area."

"Yeah." Haise followed Kuro back up to the rooftops as they tried to find another group of ghouls. But the next one had the same reaction as the first group, and the third after that. "I give up. The ghouls here are obviously scared of whoever they think we are."

Kuro nodded in defeat, they weren't going to get any information. Hopefully the others were having better luck than they were. The two 1st class investigators began making their way back to the meeting point. They would wait for the others to get back.

' _Who's Black Widow?_ ' Kuro asked as she placed a hand on her mask. ' _Why did Uta make me a mask like this?_ ' Her finger glided over the red hourglass in the center of her forehead. ' _Uta, what do you know?_ '

* * *

And that is the chapter. Thank you for reading!

Please let me know what you thought of the chapter. As well as the story so far. I love hearing from you all.


	12. Home

I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.

* * *

So far the data they had collected was serving them well. They knew much more than they did before, and from a ghoul's perspective as well. But no leads on Rose or Aogiri Tree. But Kuro's encounter with the ghoul's had sparked a curiosity in her. Which sent her to the archives.

Kuro sighed as she closed another file. "Still nothing." She reached over and pulled out another file. Flipping it open she leafed through it. ' _There!_ ' She spotted the name she had been looking for, Black Widow. "A ghoul with a red scythe quinque, previously belonging to deceased 1st class investigator Shimoto Tousan, and a mask that looks like a black spider. No kagune yet revealed. Partners with No-Face and Raven. It is unknown if she is a Clown."

She shut the file and took note of the case number. Heading over to a data terminal she logged in. Typing in the file and case number, she clicked on Black Widow's name when she found it in the file. She cursed as a notice came up, Black Widow did not exist in the system. ' _Or it's classified and papercopy only._ ' She logged out and went back into the maze of paper files.

Going to a later date, she pulled a file off the shelf. "Takeda Takashi, reporting possible ghoul activity in 3rd ward and asked for permission to visit the ward for an assessment. No evidence was found." She frowned, there weren't ghouls in 3rd ward. She replaced the file and pulled another.

It took her five more files before she found something. "11th ward Aogiri Extermination. Black Widow showed her kagune. She is in possession of two, possibly more. However she has little control over them. No-Face and Raven retrieved her before we could reach her." She checked the writer, Takeda Takashi once more.

"I see you've been busy." Kuro wasn't too surprised to see Arima standing at the end of the bookshelf. Her search had probably set of an alarm of some sort. "What are you looking for?"

Kuro took a deep breath as she faced Arima. "Black-"

"Widow?" Kuro gave the man a surprised look. "You don't need to know about her."

"But I want to get stronger." Kuro said as she replaced the file on the shelf. "You know I learn best from studying."

"Then study an investigator. There are plenty that use scythes, guns, swords, or shields. and a few that use more than one." Arima raised an eyebrow as the girl shook her head. "You want to train your kagune?"

"There is no accounts, other than Nutcracker, of a ghoul having two different kagune. Black Widow did." Kuro sighed as Arime kept his cold face on. "I don't want to die because I can't be in control." She stared at the ground, trying to argue her case more.

"You don't need to know about Black Widow." Arima turned to walk out of the shelf aisle.

"WHY?!" Kuro shouted at the man's back. "What aren't you telling me?! Why is Black Widow something I can't know about?!" The man still said nothing, but he had stopped walking. "It's because that's me, isn't it? That's who I used to be."

Arima let out a sigh before he turned and faced Kuro. "Sakuna, do you remember when we first met?" The woman gave him a nod, it was probably the first memory she could readily recall about the man.

* * *

~Flashback~

Arima walked through Cochlea calmly. He had visited the first ghoul on his list, now for the second. "Investigator Arima-san, I must warn you, she's quite savage." Arima just stood still as they came up to another door.

The light came on and a woman ran at the door. "Let me out! Please! Let me out!" She pounded on the door.

"Get back prisoner 289!" The guard called before they shocked the door. The sound of a pained whimper could be heard on the other side. "You sure you want to go in? She'll tear you apart."

Arima just pushed the door open. The woman was curled in a ball by a wall. "Please, help me." He knelt down and studied the woman. She was shaking in fear, not anger or rage. "I'm scared."

"What of?" He could hardly believe this woman was Shimoto Kairi. He had heard of the girl from various people. Her parents had done good work, and she had been full of potential. But this woman was not her.

"It's so quiet here. Sometimes I can hear the blood flowing in my veins." The woman sat up and hugged her knees, her white, tangled hair falling around her. "And it's so dark, I can't see anything. And I don't know anything." She pressed her eyes into her knees. It was better than clawing them out like Kaneki was doing.

"What don't you know?" He asked as he moved closer to the woman. He doubted she could do anything against him. She probably wouldn't even try.

"Everything. I don't know my name. I don't know my age. I don't know where I came from." She sniffled as she looked up at the man standing in front of her. "I don't know why I'm here. Or what I am even. I just don't know." She shook her head as tears started falling from her eyes.

Arima set a hand on her head. "Would you like me to help you?" The woman looked up at him with hopeful eyes. She was no longer Shimoto Kairi, so he would make her into someone else. Someone that would help him. "I will help you, if you want me to."

"Please." She asked as tears streamed down her face. The investigator gave her a nod. "Thank you." He got up to leave the cell. "Um...can I ask you something?" He stopped and raised an eyebrow at her. "Can you ask them to leave the light on? I don't want to be in the dark."

Arima merely nodded at the woman's request. "I will ask." He walked out of the cell and watched as the door closed. "Make sure her lights are on at all times, it will keep her docile." With that he left the prison. There was much work to be done for those two to become assets to him.

* * *

~Flashback end~

"I am helping you." Arima stated as Kuro came back from memory lane. "You don't need to know about Shimoto Kairi." With that said he left the room.

Kuro frowned as she watched Arima leave the archive. She still had questions, but she had a few answers. Arima had never denied that she was Black Widow. "So that's who I was. I wish I knew more." She left the archive while trying to imagine what life had been like for her when she was Shimoto Kairi, the daughter of two investigators, and a friend to ghouls.

She got to her and Haise's office and sat at her desk. She began leafing through paperwork, not really paying attention to her work. "There you are." Kuro looked up to see Juuzou peeking into her office. "We have a meeting right now you know?" He chuckled as Kuro's eyes widen in realization. "Come on Shiro."

"Juuzou, stop that." She frowned as she followed him towards the meeting room. How could she have forgotten about the meeting? ' _I'm thinking too much about the past._ ' They both walked into the meeting room, the last ones to arrive. "I'm sorry for keeping Juuzou-san."

"She was lost in thought." Juuzou chuckled as he sat down beside Abara-san. Kuro was frowning at him for joking with her. "Shall we get started?"

"We got information from a ghoul trying to save the Rose we caught. She gave them all up." Ui stated as she pinned a picture to the board. "The Tsukiyama Family is our target. We don't know how many of them are ghouls, but we are going under the assumption that they all are until proven otherwise." She noticed all them stare at the board, the Tsukiyama family owned a few large companies around the city. "The raid on the main residence is tonight. You are dismissed to prepare."

Kuro regrouped with the Quix and Haise. "This won't be easy. The Tsukiyama family has a large staff. We aren't getting out of this unscathed." She noticed all of them nodding slowly and gave them all a smile. "Don't worry, you'll have Sasaki and myself right beside you."

"Go collect your quinque. we're leaving as soon as possible." Haise ordered the others before heading for his office. "What kept you? It's not like you to be late for a meeting." Sakuna had been acting strange for a while now.

"I got caught up in research." Kuro looked over at Haise, he seemed a bit off as well. "I'm guessing you looked into Eye-patch?" She got a nod from her partner. "I looked up Black Widow, crazy stuff." Silence fell over them as they reached their office and retrieved their quinque.

Everyone was gathered for the operation in a few hours. They left for the Tsukiyama residence and surrounded the entire property. At least half of the CCG were on standby outside of the house while Ui and her team went inside. After several tense moments, an announcement came through the com system they were all wearing. "We have captured Mirumo Tsukiyama. I repeat. We have captured Mirumo Tsukiyama."

"Wow, it's over already." Kuro commented as she put a hand into her coat pocket. "Looks like this ended without a single punch being thrown." She chuckled as she hoped that was truly the case.

"I wouldn't be too sure." Haise said with worry. "This was too easy. For a ghoul with this much influence to just give up, he's sacrificing himself for something." Sakuna sighed as Sasaki spoke aloud her own worry.

"New orders!" Everyone looked over to see Ui walking towards the vehicles. "We have an escaped Tsukiyama. He's most likely heading for Lunatic Ecplise. We are going to exterminate all ghouls in the building, including Tsukiyama." She and her team were the first to leave the parking lot to rendezvous with whatever team Headquarters had dispatched there, since Headquarters was closer.

Kuro lead the way back to the truck their team had come in. She got it started as everyone climbed into the vehicle. "Hold on." She floored the gas and easily drifted out of the parking lot, following the others ahead of her.

"I forgot how scary you can be while driving." Haise said as he grabbed the handle above his door. They made good time, getting from 21st ward to 8th Ward in record time. They all climbed out of the car and headed into the building, the extermination had already started. "Let's go." Haise led their team into the building.

Inside was a mess of bodies, both human and ghoul. A quick look told Kuro what she needed to know. "The elevators are turned off. We'll have to take the stairs." She led the way up, snapping her quinque out of it's case and setting it to sword form. They got out on the 5th floor, running into ghouls. She grinned as she easily cut through the first ghoul, it had begun.

Their squad was making quick work of the ghouls, working together was making things easier. They were running down a hall when Ui joined up with them. "Sasaki, Sakuna, I'm worried about the situation on the roof. Both of you, go on ahead and find the enemy."

Kuro shared a look with Haise before they both walked up to a nearby window. Kuro and Haise slid their quinque into into their belts and threw their jackets off. They both nodded before knocking the window out with their kagune. Jumping out the window, they used their kagune to climb up to the roof.

They both landed on the roof and had a faint smiled at the sight of the glittering city below them. The air was still and pleasant, cooling their skin and relaxing their minds. "You're Eye-patch aren't you?" Kuro asked quietly. Haise just gave her a small nod. "And you know I'm Black Widow?" Another nod from the man beside her. "Crazy." She chuckled thinking of what this would mean for their careers, their lives.

A loud boom drew them out of their peace, a warped piece of metal was falling out of the sky in flames. "We have shot down the Tsukiyama helicopter." Both investigators watched the helicopter fall as the report came in, they could sense the man walking up behind them. "Repeat, the Tsukiyama escape helicopter has been shot down." They turned, a man with blue hair was standing and staring at them. "Sasaki, Sakuna, any sight of our target?"

Kuro stared at the ghoul as Sasaki brought a hand up to his earpiece. "I have no visual on Tsukiyama's son." Haise replied through the com-channel calmly before he removed his hand and addressed the man before them. "So, you're a Tsukiyama?" He watched the man with a frown. He had been approached by this man before, but had never given him his name.

"Gourmet?" Both men looked over at Kuro in surprise. Kuro brought a hand up to her head, a headache was pounding in her skull. She knew this man, this annoying food lover, but she also didn't.

Sasaki stepped between his partner and the ghoul before him. "Sakuna-san, I'll handle this." Haise drew his quinque and faced Tsukiyama, Sakuna was not in any shape to fight. "Surrender. If you surrender to me, I can claim ownership rights over you, you won't have to die tonight."

"Surrender?" Tsukiyama placed a hand over his face before he gave a bark of laughter. "As if I would ever surrender to you!" He lashed out at the two investigators, both of them dodging. "My father, the servants, they all gave their lives to make sure I would escape." He lashed out at Haise, knocking him into the exterior ducts. "This body is no longer my own, I must live on and escape for their sakes."

Kuro took deep breaths as she tried to get over her headache. ' _It hurts. Uta..._ ' She stopped as her headache vanished, she remembered. "Uta...Clowns...Anteiku...Haven...they're gone." Kuro blinked as she got her bearings. "I have to help Tsukiyama." She pulled her quinque out and ran towards the two. She found Tsukiyama beating Sasaki around. ' _Kaneki-kun._ '

She moved to stop the two, but someone else got there first. "Gah!" Sasaki yelled as he held his arm, everything from the elbow down was missing.

"Shut up." They looked over to see a ghoul with a large toothy grin on his mask. Kuro looked from him to Sasaki, he was still in pain about his missing arm.

"Kanae, is that you?" Tsukiyama asked the ghoul in shock. Kanae had changed so much.

"Ya." The ghoul stated as he moved closer to Sasaki. "Now to deal with you."

Kuro stepped between the two. "Keep away from him." She blocked the ghoul's kagune with the shield form of her quinque. She changed it to a gun when the kagune was pulled back and aimed at the two ghouls. "Leave with Tsukiyama-san, I'll hold the Doves here." She hoped they would take her offer, she didn't want to kill them, and arresting them would be the same as killing them.

Tsukiyama looked at the investigator with shock. "Shimoto?...you remember?" He had thought she had died in the same fight as Kaneki. But he was alive, so it wasn't a shock that she was as well. But the fact that she remembered when he did not was a curious thing. "How?"

Kairi sighed as she lowered her gun. "It's still fuzzy, but I remember who my friends-" She coughed as a kagune dug through her stomach. "Gah!" She cried as she was lifted off the ground by the kagune that had run her through.

"Some friend you are." Kanae said as he grabbed Sasaki by his neck and tossed him towards the edge of the building. "You both can just vanish." He tossed Sakuna off of the building, she could not survive the fall.

Kairi watched as the top of the building grew further and further away. ' _I guess this is where it ends. Yomo always said I would get killed running around with ghouls._ ' She chuckled as Yomo's face popped into her mind, followed by Uta's. She ground her teeth as she released her control of her RC cells. ' _I can't die yet. I have to tell Uta. He deserves to know._ '

She extended and expanded all four of her kagune around her till she was encased in complete darkness and silence. She took deep breaths as she held her quinque close to her. ' _Brown Recluse, Crab, Wolf, Tarantula, I'm sorry for letting this happen to you. But I promise, you will not be forgotten._ ' She felt the impact on the ground, but it vanished and was replaced with a sense of flying. ' _Did I bounce?_ ' The same sensation happened a few more times, sometimes more violent than others, agitating her stomach wound.

When she finally came to a stop and dispelled her kagune, she had no idea where she was. "This is bad." she held her gapping wound and began making her way down the road, using the sword form of her quinque as a cane. She was surprised she hadn't run into anyone. With how badly she was wounded, she would have thought a ghoul would have tried to eat her.

"Thanks for the drinks!" Kairi turned to see a woman walk out of a bar across the road from her. They met eyes before the red haired woman gasped in surprise. "Kairi-chan!?"

"Itori..." Kairi gave the woman a smile as she began to fall over. The woman easily caught her. "Sorry...looks like I lost a lot of blood." Itori placed a hand on her wound, feeling how bad it was. "It's healing, but I haven't eaten much lately."

Itori cursed as she pulled her jacket off and tried to stem the flow of blood. "Then let's get some food in you." She tied it tightly and made sure it would stay. "Come on, my car isn't far."

Kairi nodded weakly as Itomi all but picked her up. "Did I lose weight?" She giggled remembering how much more she could carry than the red headed woman.

"Nah, I just got stronger." Itori joked with the woman. She turned the corner and sighed in relief, there was no sigh of any investigators, or whoever had tore through Kairi's stomach. "See, now let's get you home."

"Home." Kairi smiled as she laid her head against Itori's shoulder. She was so tired.

"Hey! Don't you go falling asleep on me!" Itori growled at the woman, but she was already out cold. "Damn brat." She laid the girl in her front passenger seat. "You die on me before we get to HySy and I'll kill you." She got into the driver seat and drove off towards 4th ward.

She glanced over at the woman several times during the drive. Her hair was longer, and the underside was still it's black color, but the top part had become pure white. She also had a gun quinque in her hand, but she had been positive it was a sword when she had first seen the woman. And the smell of the quinque told her it was as precious to her as Scarlet Fang had been. ' _Damn Doves._ ' She cursed as she pulled into the back garage of Uta's shop.

"What are you doing here?" Uta asked as he leaned on the door to his apartment. The garage was a normal place for him to be, it was were they met up when they were going out for a job, or he just wanted to be alone. Itori just rushed around to the passenger side of her car. "Who did you-" He stopped as he caught scent of who was in Itori's car, and the scent of blood. "Kairi!"

Itori moved out of the way as Uta rushed over to the car. He brushed her hair out of her face before gently picking her up, making sure to grab her gun as well. "Found her wandering around 2nd ward. She was already injured when I found her." She got the doors as Uta carried Kairi inside, laying her down on the couch in his apartment, since he didn't own a bed anymore. "I'll get Yomo-kun."

Uta nodded as Itori left to go get help and he began bandaging her up. He could do a lot of first aid, but by the looks of it, Kairi might still die. "Don't leave me." He ran a hand over Kairi's face, pushing her hair out of it. He chuckled as he caught sight of black hair under her white hair. "Are you remembering, Sakuna-san?"

"Uta?" A hushed whisper passed between Kairi's lips as her eyes cracked open, one white and green and the other black and red. She gave him a smile as he stared at her in shock. "I'm home."

Uta felt a tear run down his cheek as he pressed his forehead against Kairi's. "Welcome home, Kairi." She passed out again, the smile still on her face. "She's back." He looked over his shoulder as Yomo and Itori walked into his apartment. "Itori, can you call Touka? Kairi is going to need something to eat when she wakes up." He got a nod from the woman as she left to get the other ghoul.

Yomo knelt down beside Kairi and checked her over. "She healing, but she's lost a lot of blood. She's barely bleeding or breathing." He reached into his bag and pulled out a few bags of blood. "Do you have a coat hanger? We'll have to work fast." He got a nod form his friend as they got to work saving their little half ghoul.

* * *

Haise looked down at the plaque for Shirazu. There may not be a body buried, but the boy was gone. He kept his head down as he walked away from the grave. "Sasaki, can I talk to you?" Haise gave Mado Akira a small smile and nod. "How are you doing?"

"As well as can be expected." He replied as they continued to walk out of the graveyard. "No sign of Sakuna-san?"

"None." Akira stated in frustration. "We should assume the worst, but for now she is missing in action." Several investigators had reported seeing her falling form the L.E. Building, but nothing after that. It was as if she vanished into thin air. "We'll find her, Haise."

Haise nodded as they continued to walk. So much had changed, and it would be changing even more in the future.

* * *

Thank you for reading so far. Please leave a review letting me know how you're liking it.

Or how much you hate it. It's amusing to read comments from people who don't like the story. Because if you don't like it, don't read it. It's kind of funny. Because if you hate it enough to leave a comment, there is some part of it you actually like. So you don't hate it, you just wish it was slightly different. And if that is the case, then you write it and post it. Problem solved.


	13. Out In The Open

I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.

* * *

She was back in the black void. She couldn't hear her own screams or even feel her nails digging into her skin. ' _I just want to die._ ' She whimpered as she curled up into a ball. Maybe she could just shrink out of existence.

A light shone in front her, warming her in the cold darkness. "Kairi?" Looking up she saw a glowing ball of light. Kairi unfurled herself and watched as the ball slowly floated towards her.

' _So warm._ ' Kairi smiled as she reached out, touching the ball of light. ' _Uta?_ ' She asked at the familiar feel of the light. It was so welcoming and loving, protective even. She pulled the light to her chest, hugging it tightly.

She shut her eyes as a tired feeling washed over her. She wasn't scared, she was at peace, the light comforting her. "Mama."

Kairi sat up on the leather couch she was laying on. She looked around the small apartment, it smelled like Uta. Another scent drifted in through an open door. Kairi got up to follow the scent, but a tugging at her hand stopped her. She frowned as she spotted an IV stuck in her hand, connecting her to a bag of water. "What the hell?" She pulled the IV out of her hand and walked towards the door.

Kairi walked into a kitchen and looked around in amazement. There were pies, cookies, cakes, and loaves of bread all over the counter. They smelled delicious, even making her stomach growl loudly. She gripped her stomach as the other woman in the kitchen looked at her with surprise. "Kairi-san! You're awake!"

Kairi looked back at the woman in the kitchen. Her short indigo hair seemed familiar. "Touka-chan?" She let out a huff as the girl ran into her arms. She patted her back as the girl began to cry a bit. "It's alright, Touka-chan. I'm not going anywhere."

"She's in here." Yomo called behind him as he walked into the kitchen. "Careful Touka, don't want to pull her stitches." He ruffled the girls hair before fixing Kairi with a smile. "Welcome back, Kairi."

"Yomo." Kairi stared as flashes of his face came into her mind. His annoyed face when they had first met was first. Next, his serious face when he helped train her after her parents died. And finally, his smiling face when she visited him at Anteiku. "It's good to be back." She gave him a smile as her vision wobbled with a few tears.

"Sorry." Touka wiped her eyes as she pulled away from the older woman. "Sit down, I'll bring you some food."

Kairi chuckled as the girl grabbed a plate and began grabbing things. "I see you've been keeping up with the cooking." Soon a plate of bread, pie and meats was in front of her. She was even surprised when a block of cheese was set down. "I see you've been learning. Did Yuki-chan teach you?" She assumed so, last she remembered, Yuki had her cookbook. But she doubted her assumption once the room became silent. "Did something happen to Yuki-chan and the others?"

Uta gave a sigh as he walked up to the table and leaned on the back of a chair. "She died." He noticed Kairi stare in shock as tears gathered in her eyes. "After we shut down Haven and moved HySy and Helter Skelter, Yuki opened up a bakery with the others from Haven."

"When your identity was exposed, the Doves were able to connect you to the shop and suspected the food of being meant for ghouls." Touka stated as she stared at the food on the counter. "The Doves knew to check the food for human remains. They wiped out the entire shop two weeks after it opened."

Kairi covered her mouth as a sob escaped it. "They're all gone." She hiccuped and clutched her stomach. She was pulling stitches.

"You should have waited till she was healed." Yomo reprimanded the others as he caught sight of blood on Kairi's shirt.

Kairi wiped her eyes before reaching for a red smoothie Touka had set down on the table. She chugged it and gave off a sigh as she set the empty glass down. "That was refreshing." Everyone was staring at her in surprise. "What?"

"When did you get a kakugan?" Yomo asked as he pointed at his own eye.

Kairi tensed up as she kept her eyes on her plate of food. "I'm not exactly sure. Around the time my hair turned white I guess." She played with a piece of her hair, stunned when she found black hair as well. "When did it start turning back?"

"Seems it's only the underside that's black." Uta spun his chair around and sat down. "You should eat, it'll help you heal." He gave her a wink as she started eating. "You guys should get going, your cafe opens in a few hours."

"Yeah." Yomo stated as he pushed himself away from the counter. "No strenuous activities, she still has a hole in her stomach." He pulled his jacket on as Touka reached past him to grab her own. "I'll be back to check on her wound later tonight."

"Stay safe you two." Kairi called after the two as they left. She picked up a piece of pie and munched on it. "They've gotten closer."

"I think Yomo is finally letting himself actually be her uncle for once." He turned in alarm as Kairi began coughing. "Are you alright?"

Kairi gave one more cough before she was able to clear her airways. "Don't drop large information bombs like that when someone is eating." Giving Uta a small glare she grimaced as she felt more blood seep out of her wound. "This thing really isn't healing well." She commented as she placed a hand on her stomach.

Uta got up and walked around the table to the fridge. "Want me to cook you something? I'm not that good, but I can manage." He pulled out a container of meat, checking the date for freshness. "Fresher meat will help the most."

"And raw is better than cooked." Kairi stated as she turned in her seat. "I've been living as a ghoul for the past two years Uta. I know how my healing ability works." She smiled as he passed her the container. "Thank you."

"You've gotten a bit snappier." Uta commented, getting a glare from the woman. "Reminds me of you after the Kyokai fiasco."

"But I did learn how to cook during that." Kairi commented as she cut a piece off of the mound of flesh in the container. "And the guy was a complete prick. Of course you get snappy after spending a month with a guy like that."

"He obviously didn't know how to tease you properly." Uta commented while playing with a piece of Kairi's hair. "I quite like the white on you. Although the purple was nice as well."

"What where you doing at the auction?" She asked as she ate another bite of meat. "Other than running the bidding of course. Where you hired for the job?"

"In a way." Uta commented as he walked back over to the fridge, he wanted an eyeball. "We Clowns work very well. And we work very hard for our plans to work."

Kairi nodded as she finished off her food. "What happened to the bed?" She asked, having not seen a bed when she had woken up.

"Don't need one when it's just me." Uta stated as he munched on his eyeball. "And I don't sleep much anyway." They lapped into silence as Uta munched on his snack and Kairi munched on bread. "You should rest."

"I'm-" Kaiir was interrupted as the bell in the shop rang, a customer had walked in. "You should go, you have work."

Uta nodded as he popped the rest of the eye into his mouth. He placed a kiss on Kairi's forehead before walking through the rest of the apartment and downstairs to the shop.

Kairi smiled as she watched Uta leave the kitchen. It was nice, acting normal around him. Not hiding anything. She frowned as she looked down at her lap, she still had to tell him about the baby.

* * *

A month passed and everything seemed to be returning to how it was before Kairi lost her memories. Uta had even bought a bed, but he was still sleeping on the couch. She hadn't asked him why yet.

Kairi was walking around the shop and taking note of all of he new masks Uta had made. Uta had gone out to get something. He wouldn't tell her what, it was suppose to be a surprise. She pulled a heart shaped mask off of a mannequin and put it on.

She giggled as she looked at herself in the mirror, spying another mask half finished on Uta's work desk. She put the mask back as she went over to his desk. The mask on the desk looked like a gas mask, but with it's own Uta flare of personality. She smiled thinking how it would look when finished.

Looking around the neat and orderly desk, a box in the corner stood out. It wasn't open and it didn't have anything on top of it. Kairi looked around the shop, wondering if Uta would be mad if she looked inside.

Deciding it was worth the risk, she took the lid off. Inside she found stacks of photos. Leafing through the photos she was reminded of their history together. "So you did take pictures." She smiled coming across picture of the Clowns as well as Anteiku and Haven. There were also some of just the two of them. But in all of the photos, no one was looking at the camera. "You sneaky photographer." She giggled at a picture of herself fast asleep on the edge of a building.

She replaced all of the photos neatly in the box. She frowned feeling something else in the box. She expected it to be a camera, but it felt too thin and long, and it was in a bag. "What is-" She stopped as she pulled the bag out, staring at the four pregnancy test sticks.

"Kairi?" Uta locked the door to the shop as he called out to Kairi. He saw her standing by his desk at the back, but she wasn't moving. "Are you okay-" He stopped as she turned to face him, bag of pregnancy tests in hand. He looked at her face, but she wouldn't look at him. "Kairi." He started walking towards her.

Kairi spun around and darted up the stairs to the apartment. "Kairi!" She kept moving as she heard Uta running after her. She managed to lock the bathroom door before he could reach it. "Kairi, open the door."

"I can't." She chocked out as tears began falling down her face. "I can't." She slid down to the floor of the bathroom. Uta knew, he knew about the baby. Then he knew she knew, and that she went to fight knowing she was pregnant with their child. "I'm so sorry."

"Kairi, I'm not mad or upset. Please let me in." Uta leaned his head against the bathroom door. He could hear Kairi crying on the otherside. All he wanted to do was comfort her. The sound of her crying stopped, followed by the sound of her shuffling around on the floor. "Kairi?"

"How?!" She asked as she pulled the door to the bathroom open with her kagune. "How are you not mad?! I'm mad at me! I killed our child!" She choked on her words again as her tears renewed themselves.

Uta knelt down and pulled Kairi into his arms. "You always think things through, too much sometimes. Like when you told me to bite you, or leave you behind, or following you through a Dove nest." He ran a hand over her long hair as he gently rocked them. "You didn't plan on dying that day. It's death is not-"

"It is!" Kairi pulled away from Uta and looked up at him with her kakugan activated. "I had this when I woke up." She pointed at the kakugan as she watched Uta's reaction. "To get this, I would have to have the organ that produced RC cells. He gave me his RC gland, and it made him human. Then my now ghoul body ATE him." She sobbed again as reality hit her, she killed their child.

Uta let out a breath as he reached forward a wiped a tear off of Kairi's cheek. "He chose to save your life. And I will forever be grateful to him." He kissed her forehead as she leaned into him. "Why didn't you tell me? It would have explained a lot of things. Especially all the times you ate all my eyeballs."

"They were delicious." Kairi murmured as she snuggled into his arms. She didn't think she deserved his love, but she needed it. "I didn't know if you would want the baby. I didn't know if I wanted the baby. A baby is...well...a baby."

"I would have wanted the baby." Uta chuckled as Kairi stared up at him in surprise. "I love you, and a baby would give me another piece of you to love and care for." He placed a quick kiss on her lips, slowly leaning in for another, longer kiss.

Kairi wrapped her arms around Uta's neck as she turned herself to straddle his legs. They never broke their kiss as Uta stood up, holding Kairi under her ass. She moaned as he gave it a small squeeze. She pulled away and began peppering his neck with kisses.

Uta moaned as she found a spot on his neck that sent a shiver down his spine. "Kairi, you're still injured." He got up on the large bed, that was now in his bedroom, and laid Kairi down. "I don't want to hurt you."

Kairi growled as she used her kagune to tear her shirt off. "Healing factor." She stated as she ran a hand over her spotless stomach. She then ran her kagune up Uta's back, smiling as his muscles tensed and shivered. "I can take anything you can dish out."

Uta felt a grin form on his face as he released his kagune, sighing at the feeling of letting it out after so long. "You asked for this." He placed another kiss on Kairi's lips as their kagune set about removing their clothes. This was going to be much different than the other times.

* * *

Kairi smiled as she sat around the shop happily. Roma was sitting beside her, talking about everything and nothing all at once. The rest of the Clowns were all sitting around the room. Well most of them, a few were out on a job or had been killed during their last job.

"Ayato is planning on breaking into Cochlea." Everyone looked over at Uta. "Yomo and Touka needed gas masks. He will be breaking in in a few weeks. Same time the CCG will be invading Rushima." Uta pulled a gas mask off of the table beside him. "We will be sneaking into Cochlea as well. We have people to collect."

"I'm coming with you." Kairi set down her glass of wine as she met Uta's stunned look. "I'll be able to get Ayato into Cochlea. And I want to get Hinami-chan out of there."

"I'm not losing you again." At Uta's declaration the room grew silent.

Kairi let out a breath as she got up and walked over to Uta. She leaned on the arms of his chair and leaned in close. "I'm not going to die. And if I do, you can come find me in Hell and punish me for it." She gave him a wink as she pushed herself back. "They won't recognize me with my hair like this. And Black Widow owes them for what they did to my generals and Scarlet."

Uta stayed quiet as Kairi stood in front of him with her arms crossed. He let out a huff as he ran a hand through his hair. "Once you get Hinami-chan, you both leave. I don't want you in there longer than necessary."

Kairi smiled as she nodded in agreement. "Itomi-chan, can you help me with my hair?"

Itomi perked up in her seat. "Yes! What do you want to do? Curl it? Braid it?"

"Chop it off." Kairi smirked as Itomi stared in shock.

"That works." Itomi followed the woman upstairs to the bathroom. "How short are we going?" She reached under the sink and pulled out the various hair tools that were stored there.

"I was thinking an undercut on the black and keep the white at about ear length." Kairi pulled her hair out of it's messy bun and ran her hands through it. "It's gotten way too long." Itomi ran a hand through her hair as she chewed on her lip. "Can you do it?"

Itomi sighed as she felt Kairi's silky hair. "Yeah, but it's so soft." She whined as Kairi laughed at her. "But, I think it will look nice. It's definitely going to be a dramatic change." She grabbed the folding chair and popped it open. "Have a seat, and let's get started."

Kairi sat down and watched in the mirror as Itomi brushed her hair and separate it between the white and black hair. The white hair was tied with and elastic and clipped to the top of her head. The rest of her hair was tied into three ties and left loose. Itomi pulled out the buzz cutter ad plugged it in. "Alright, how short do you want it?"

Kairi thought about it for a moment. "How long can you leave it?"

Itomi pulled out the guard set that was stored with the cutter. "I can leave up to quarter an inch. Otherwise I will have to do it with scissors." She got a nod from the girl before she pulled out a pair of scissors. "But first, to take off the bulk of it all. Last chance to back out."

Kairi laughed at Itomi's warning. "Chop it off Itomi." The woman sighed as she grabbed a tail of hair and cut it off. "Maybe I do prefer it long." She ducked as the woman stabbed at her with the scissors, laughing the whole time. "I'm kidding."

"I know that, Baka." Itomi sent her a mild glare as she cut off the rest of her black hair. She turned the buzz cutter on and tilted Kairi's head forward. "Can I do a hair tattoo? Uta won't let me do it on him."

"I would let you, but it's an identifying feature. Sorry." Itomi gave her a sigh as she began buzzing the hair shorter. It only took about 10 minutes to finish. "Now for the top. And why did I not do this sooner? My head feels so light."

Itomi giggled as she let Kairi's hair down from the clip. "So, ear length you said?" She got a nod from the woman as she moved most of the hair to one side. Then she pulled som over and measured it to the proper length. "Alright, here we go." She cut the hair, now she had a guid line for the rest of the hair.

Kairi laughed as Itomi gazed sadly at the cut hair in her hand. "It'll grow back, eventually."

It was another half hour before Itomi finally set the scissors down. "Well, it's different. And looks pretty damn good."

Kairi smirked at herself in the mirror as she ran a hand over her short hair. "I love it." She hugged Itomi tightly. "Thank you." The woman hugged her back. "I missed this, our little adventures."

Itomi laughed as she ruffled her friend's short hair. "Yeah. Should we put on revealing clothes and see how long it take for the guys to get a boner?" She laughed as loud as Kairi at the suggestion. It was a normal joke they used to play whenever Kairi visited.

"Sadly, I don't have as extensive a wardrobe as I used to." Kairi said as she walked out into the bedroom of the apartment. "I've actually been wearing Uta's clothes for the past month. Only clothes I have that are mine are my torn investigator suit." She picked up her mask and put it on. "How does the hair look with the mask?"

"Pretty bad ass." Itomi chuckled seeing the new Black Widow look. "And I am so taking you out shopping. I'm sure Uta likes seeing you in his clothes, but a girl needs her own wardrobe." She chuckled as she pulled the girl back towards the stairs once she had removed her mask. "Now to see what the others think."

Kairi took a deep breath as they made their way back downstairs. Everything became silent once Kairi came into view. Kair ran a hand through her hair. "Is it that different?"

"It's so short!" Roma exclaimed as she looked over the back of her chair. "It looks really nice."

Kairi gave Roma a smile in gratitude. Her eyes where then drawn to Uta, he hadn't said a word yet. She froze as she met his eyes. 'Oh god he looks sexy.' She swallowed as he slowly got up form his seat and walked over to her. She shivered as he ran a hand through her short hair. "Uta?"

"Meeting's over." Uta said as he continued to look down at Kairi. He waited till they were all gone before reaching out and running a hand over the scar on her shoulder. The tank top she was wearing didn't hide anything, and they weren't hidden behind her hair anymore. "It's still there."

Kairi watched Uta as he traced every scar he could see. The one from when he bit her, to the knick on her collar bone from training with Scarlet Fang. She brought up a hand of her own and traced it over Uta's tattoo. "It will always be there, just like these." She met Uta's eyes as he watched her. "You know, I've always wanted a tattoo."

Uta chuckled as he leaned down and whispered in Kairi's ear. "Where did you want it?" She shivered as his hand traced down her spine. "What would you want?"

Kairi got her senses back for a moment when Uta paused. "On my wrist. There's this phrase I can't seem to get out of my head." She chuckled as Uta caught her hint. "Think you can do it without making me bleed to death?"

Uta playfully bit her neck as he pulled back. "I think I can manage." He placed another kiss over the scar he gave her. "Mind if I give you another one while your in the mood?"

"What were you thinking?" Kairi asked curiously as Uta led her to the back of his shop. It's where he did all of the tattoos. She had been back in his tattoo room in the other shop, and this one looked the exact same. She laid down on the table and watched as Uta collected everything he would need. "Uta?"

"A sun." Uta said as he finished setting everything up. "Over the scar I gave you. That way we match." He smiled as Kairi stared at him in shock. "I want them all to know you are mine, only mine."

Kairi shock her head as she passed him her wrist. "A ring has the same effect, but I think you just like leaving marks on me."

Uta placed a kiss on her wrist as she giggled. "But those marks are only for you to know. It's everyone else I have to worry about." He kept a smile on his face as he began on Kairi's tattoo, it was much easier to do this on someone else.

* * *

Yay! There is something revitalizing about changing the appearance of a character.

Let me know what you think about the chapter.


	14. Long Live The Dead

I do not own Tokyo Ghoul. **Warning!** There is a lemon.

* * *

Kairi watched from afar as ghoul's gathered around Ayato. She smiled at the numbers he had been able to get. "Leave it to Ayato-kun to get things done." She put her mask on before she began making her way over. Ayato tensed when she landed behind him. "Mind if I join?" She smirked behind her mask as they all froze at the sight of her.

"Black Widow?" Ayato whispered as he stared at the ghoul. She No longer wore all red, instead she was in black pants and a jacket. The only color on her was a red scarf and her white hair, even the quinque on her back was pure black. He almost couldn't tell who she was, but the mask gave her away. "Thought you were dead."

Kairi chuckled as she walked up to the younger ghoul. "I made it seem that way. But it's time I have my vengeance." She took the sword off of her back and change it to it's scythe form. "They will taste the blade they forged."

Ayato gave her a nod before looking back at Cochlea. "Let's go!" He led them all to the top of a tower before walking over to a control panel. The alarms started to go off before he had even opened the door. "We've come too far to turn back now." mUttered under his breath as he slid the keycard down the pad, unlocking the top door.

Kairi frowned as he door opened, the alarm had already sounded. ' _Who set off the alarm from-_ ' She paused as she thought of who on the inside would set off the alarm. ' _Haise-kun._ ' She followed the others into the prison, hoping she wouldn't have to face Arima.

"It's Black Rabbit!" One of the guards shouted as the ghouls began to attack. Another cried out as a lithe ghoul began fighting with a large black scythe. "Is that Black Widow?!"

Kairi smirked as she ducked under a quinque. "Good to know I'm still remembered." She slashed at the investigator, cutting him in half. As three more approached her she relaxed her posture. "My regards to Arima-san." She leaned back and flipped over the rail, falling towards the next level.

She caught sight of lightning arching towards her and used her kagune to drag herself out of the way. She flipped herself over the railing with the momentum from her swing and spotted Arima standing with his usual guarded expression. "So you have returned, Black Widow."

Kairi landed on the same walkway as Arima, calmly laying her scythe on her shoulder. "Took me a while, but I have come to say 'thank you'." She spun one the scythe around to the front of her before changing it to it's gun form. "Thank you for keeping my generals together." She shot at the man, but he either knocked the bullets away or avoided them altogether.

She switched to sword form and renewed her attacks, but none of them hit Arima. As she tried to push him back, he pushed her back to have enough time to block Black Rabbit and push him back as well. No words were spoken between them as they fought, but it was also a very one-sided fight. Kairi was surprised how long she and Ayato were lasting. The kid had already lost his mask and she had switched to her scythe once more.

"Attention! Third Level has been breached! All personnel move to protect the 3rd Block." Kairi smirked as the announcement sounded. She grabbed onto Ayato's collar and pulled him over the railing with her. They couldn't afford to be delayed any longer. And they weren't going to win against Arima.

She landed on the ground and released Ayato. "We should keep moving. Hinami-chan has an SS rank. She is somewhere in this level." Kairi changed her quinque to it's shield form, Arima would not let them escape so easily.

"So it is you, Shimoto Kairi." Kairi kept her composure as Ayato spoke to her. Without his mask he reminded her so much of his sister, young and stubborn. "Renji Yomo, Touka...I know it's you." He looked behind him at the two ghouls that had followed them to the 3rd level. They both removed their masks slowly. "You shouldn't have come. Do you even know where we are!"

Kairi stepped away as the family spoke with each other. She looked around critically, something was not right. She looked behind her to see the others had finished their conversation. "We need to keep moving." Arima should have caught up to them by now. Why wasn't he or anyone else attacking them?

"There is a tower up ahead." Ayato took lead of their group. "It will lead us to Hinami-chan and then out again." They reached the tower and Ayato swiped the keycard, but it was rejected. "The keycard has been revoked."

"Move!" Kairi shouted as an arch of lightning carved into the door and wall. ' _Systems are fried. Not even my codes will work._ ' She looked behind her to find Arima standing by with his quinque by his side. "Ready for a real match?" She let all 8 of her kagune arms out of her back as she switched back to her scythe form.

"You can't take him on your own." Yomo told Kairi as he watched the man that had murdered his sister. "And this is my fight."

"You can't take him on your own either, remember?" Kairi smirked as Yomo growled under his breath. "And there are other reason I need to fight him. But even together, we will lose." Their attention was diverted as Ayato charged at the investigator.

Kairi managed to drag the boy away from a counter strike by Arima. But he merely redirected it with a flick of his wrist. Yomo was prepared to block to attack, but Touka stepped in front of him. "Move." He told her as he pushed her head down, taking Arima's quinque to the neck. The investigator was as fast as he usually was.

"Renji-kun!" Kairi shouted as she ran at her friend. She deflected an attack from Arima and glared at him from behind her mask. "Touka, Ayato, stay back."

"As if!" Ayato shouted as he attacked, only to be pushed back. "You said it yourself, the two of you can't do it-" He was cut off as Arima landed a slash on his chest.

Kairi rushed forward, managing to slip into Arima's guard. She stabbed at him with her kagune, but he twisted away from all of her attacks. "Gah!" She cried out as Arima's foot pushed against her stomach, launching her backwards.

Kairi pushed herself to her knees, switching her scythe to shield form while glaring at Arima. "AAAHHHH!" She looked over as Yomo shouted as he launched an electric attack with his kagune. Arima did not just blocked the attack, he sent it back at Yomo. Kairi tensed in worry as Yomo just sat their, not even trying to get out of the way or block it.

But her body relaxed as a figure stood between Yomo and the attack, blocking it completely. Kairi smiled as she recognized the man. "Kaneki-kun." She pushed herself to her feet and regrouped with the others. She kept her eyes on Arima, he was watching Kaneki closely.

"Shimoto, lower drainage pipe." He spoke calmly as he addressed the masked woman. "Ayato, look after them."

Kairi nodded as she grabbed Touka by her collar. Touka resisted a bit, shaking off Kairi's hand. "Oi! See you later." She told Kaneki before turning and following the others.

They got all the way down to the basement of Cochlea without incident. "The disposer should be just around the corner." Kairi said as she pointed down the hall. "With the prison on lockdown, the disposer will be shut down. We should be able to cut the power so it doesn't come on while we are inside." She walked up to a control board and opened a panel. She pulled out a bundle of wires and tossed them over her shoulder. "Let's go."

They made it down into the compactor before running into an obstacle. "Hello there." Kairi stared in shock at who was walking towards them. "So we meet again, Black Widow." Eto smiled at the woman before her. "To think you would come this far after we met back in 11th. Interesting how one's fate can change."

"Eto." Kairi watched the petite woman as she began walking towards their group. "Where did you come from?"

Eto looked behind her with a smile. "I've been waiting for you. And I have to pay someone back. They gave me such delicious food." She eyed the woman as she continued to look around. "You all should brace yourselves."

Kairi stared at Eto in shock. But before anyone could ask what she meant, the compactor started moving. In an instant, Eto released her kagune, Owl broke the compactor apart.

Kairi watched as Eto crawled out of the compactor. "I'm going after her." She stated while releasing her kagune, letting them grow larger than usual. "You all get out. I'll be along shortly."

"You better, or Uta will skin me." Yomo told Kairi as he watched his friend climb out of the compactor.

Kairi smiled sadly as Yomo's words reached her. ' _I won't leave him again._ ' She looked around curiously at the scene around her. Investigators were dead, except for Nimura-san. Her eyes widened as a kagune came out of the man's back. ' _He's a ghoul?_ '

Kairi moved towards Eto and Nimura. She stayed out of sight, not sure who's side she should be on. Eto had saved them back in the compactor, but she had been their enemy before that. And Nimura was an investigator, so he would try and kill her for not only betraying the CCG, but also for being a Ghoul.

She moved to step between them when a pair of arms held her back. "I told you to leave as soon as you had Hinami-chan." Kairi relaxed as Uta spoke into her ear. "The Doves aren't going to stay down for long."

Kairi spun herself around and looked up at Uta's masked face, it wasn't either of his usual ones. "I know that. So, what are the Clowns up to?" She smirked as Uta's face moved a bit to the side, looking away from her face. "You go have your fun, I'll be at home waiting to have our fun." She stood up on her tip toes and placed a kiss on the side of his face. "Stay safe."

Uta kept a hold of her hand as she tried to walk away. Pulling her back to him, he leaned in close to her ear while hugging her tightly. "If you want to know what is going on, I'll tell you." He felt her tense in his arms, he usually never told her anything. "I want you to be safe, but if keeping you safe means including you, I will. I never want to lose you."

Kairi settled into Uta's arms as he held her tightly. Uta was a very secretive person, she learned that early on, so she never asked. She trusted him to tell her what she needed to know. And now he was telling her she could know everything. But she also knew what that meant, becoming a Clown. "Thank you."

She felt Uta squeeze her one more time before his presence vanished all together. She stood there for a moment, calming her racing heart. "Shimoto-san." Kairi looked behind her to see Kaneki standing behind her, along with Zero squad. "Did the others get to the compactor?"

"Yes. They should be on their way out." Kairi began walking towards a lump of flesh and blood that was still breathing, but Nimura was nowhere in sight. "Hello Eto."

The green haired woman looked up at the two made Ghouls. "Hello again." The two only stared down at the woman, she had no limbs and seemed to be on the verge of death. "I'm glad we got to meet again."

Kairi looked down at the green haired woman curiously. "You know, I'm going to die." The woman chuckled lightly. "I helped your friends escape, your friends from Anteiku."

"Why?" Kaneki asked with a frown.

Eto gave him a faint smile. "I promised you, didn't I? That I'd 'lend you a hand.'"

"So you did it so I would listen to your request?" Kaneki sighed. "That's quite reckless of you."

"Sticking to one's beliefs is always a reckless thing to do, and you've known for a while now that I'm a wild one." Kairi stared at the dying woman. In her last moments she was adamant that she had made the right choice, that she could die with no regrets. In a way, she envied the woman. "And besides, regarding my request...there is no need for you to hear it. Not anymore."

Kairi stepped up beside Kaneki as they watched the woman still, a light smile on her face. "She's gone." Kairi spoke before looking at the investigators that were nearby. "So, what is Zero Sqaud up to, Hirako-san?"

The man only blinked once as he regarded the woman before him. Her appearance had once again changed dramatically. "Following orders from the King."

Kairi looked over at Kaneki curiously. "So then, One-Eyed King, what do we do now?"

She watched as Kaneki calmly placed a scarf over the lower half of his face as a mask. "We get those we came for out. Cochlea is already crippled enough." He walked past Black Widow and the Zero Squad, heading for the broken compactor. "Let's go."

Kairi smirked behind her mask as she followed the One-Eyed King. They all stayed quiet as they returned to the demolished compactor and navigated their way through it. Kaneki and Kairi waited as Hirako and the Zero Squad dropped down first, startling the Investigators with their sudden resignation.

Kairi let out a sigh as she dropped to the ground beside Renji. "Look what you've done to yourself now, Baka." She lifted him onto her shoulder with a huff as he held his guts while his body healed. "How many times have I told you not to go stepping in front of a gun?"

Renji gave a small chuckle, Kairi was always a worrier. "I'll remember that next time." He looked up as Kaneki dropped down into the sewer. "So, he's back? Kaneki?"

"I don't know." Kairi answered honestly. Everything pointed to 'yes', but some part of her still wondered how much of him was still that 'Kaneki Ken'. "Come on, we got a long way to go."

"Like we can let any of you go." Kairi looked over at Kiyoko. The investigator was glaring at her. "You should have stayed dead."

"Where is the fun in that?" Kairi smirked as the investigators around them tensed, the battle field was no longer in their favor.

"Leave." The room quieted as Kaneki spoke. "Leave and we will not pursue you. Fight and we will slaughter you." Silence continued to suffocate the air as everyone waited for a response.

"Like we can let scum like you go free." Kiyoko spoke before firing off her quinque. Chaos broke out at the sudden tension breaking. Some investigators had followed their leader and begun attacking while others had taken the offer and fled.

Kairi ground her teeth as she kept both herself and Yomo from being killed. "And to think I used to be the useless one."

"Like you were ever useless." Renji joked back at the girl beside him. "You were always the one getting us into trouble."

"I resent that." Kairi knocked him over, keeping him from getting his head chopped off. "Now watch your back. I've only got eight extra arms." She extended her kagune and swept them around her, slicing the investigators around her to bits.

"Black Widow." Kairi looked behind her. "Take the wounded to a safe place. I will catch up." Kaneki stood still as his kagune blocked bullets and knocked investigators away from him.

Kairi nodded as she grabbed Renji again. "Banjou-san, grab Ayato-kun. Hinami-chan, stay close to me. Touka-chan, take care of anyone following us." She got a nod from all three before she took off down the sewer. They exited the sewer at the closest possible exit. And since the CCG was certain none would get out, there was no one waiting for them. "Let's get you guys somewhere to heal up."

"The shop." Touka spoke up as she replaced the sewer cover. "I'm sure Kaneki-kun will meet us there."

"Alright." Kairi agreed while she figured out where they were. "Looks like we got a long way to go." She helped Renji to his feet, he could at least support himself now that he had stopped bleeding. "Let's go."

* * *

Kairi let out a sigh as she pulled her mask off. Everyone was settled into the cafe for the night, so she had returned home. She slowly peeled off her clothes and frowned at all of the tears in the fabric. "Going to need to fix that." She sat down at Uta's work desk and picked up a needle and some cotton thread, no point in leaving it to later.

She was almost done by the time the door opened again. "Welcome back." Kairi called out as Uta pulled off his own mask. "Did you stay till the end?" Uta only gave her a nod before leaning against the workbench. "What's the matter?" Uta was usually a quiet person, but this wasn't quiet, this was silence.

"I don't want you out after dark anymore." Uta spoke calmly before setting his mask down. "It's going to get more dangerous. A lot more Ghoul's escaped Cochlea than was expected." So the raid was planned by the Clowns, like almost everything else.

Kairi set her torn outfit down and stood up. She settled herself against Uta and leaned on him, smiling as his arms wrapped around her. "Alright, but promise me you will be safe. The only reason I would go out is to keep you out of trouble."

"You're the one that gets me into trouble." Uta teased.

Kairi looked up at Uta and pouted at him. "Renji-kun said the same thing. I do not get into trouble that much."

Uta chuckled before placing a kiss on her pouting lips. "Yes you do, and don't try to deny it." He gave her another kiss as his hands roamed her body. She had been working in nothing but her underwear. "Did you do this on purpose? Or are you not getting into trouble?" He chuckled again as Kairi playfully slapped his chest, a smile on her face.

Kairi pulled Uta back in for another kiss, her hands locked in his long hair. It was longer than hers now. "I don't think this night is done yet." She spoke as she kissed down his neck before latching onto the skin below his left ear. She didn't have to strain as much as Uta lifted her up with his hand under her ass. She wrapped her legs around his hips as he started the trip to the bedroom.

Uta shuddered as Kairi bit into his neck, breaking skin. He leaned against the wall, pressing her into it and himself into her. "If you keep going like that, we won't make it to a bed." His voice came out deeper than it had when he was teasing her.

Kairi moaned as she felt all of Uta press against her body, she wanted him. She resumed kissing his neck and face until Uta suddenly dropped her onto the low bed they had just recently gotten. They had broken three beds as of four days ago. Hopefully this one would last longer than the last one. "Uta..." She moaned again as he crawled on top of her, pressing himself into her again.

Uta smiled as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her neck, the same spot where she had been attacking him. He bit down till he broke the skin and lapped at the blood. He was shocked when Kairi pulled him into a kiss, her blood still on his tongue. A chuckle rumbled through his chest as their kiss broke. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Fuck me silly?" Kairi offered with a small giggle.

Uta shook his head, it was always easy for people to mistake her for a Clown. "You're already silly. And I thought women preferred to call it love making?"

Kairi blushed as she looked away form Uta's gaze. Sure they had had sex many times, and during those times they had said that three word phrase a few times, but she could never call sex love making. "It's not really making anything."

Uta nuzzled against her ears as he rubbed his hard on against her core. "We could make something." Kairi shivered beneath him as her hands latched onto his sweater. "Do you want to make another baby?" A slow nod came from the woman beneath him. He pulled back and looked at her, her eyes were shining with unshed tears. "Please don't cry. I don't know what to do when you cry." He pressed his lips against hers in a searing kiss.

Kairi lost her hands in Uta's hair as his tongue invaded her mouth, stealing her focus from her. ' _Uta...how did I get someone like you?_ ' She asked herself as his hands swiftly stripped her of her few remaining clothes and stripped himself of his clothes. A small cry escaped her lips as his mouth latched onto her breast, teasing her further. "U-Uta..." She gasped as he released her nipple with a small pop.

Uta hovered over Kairi, his head directly above hers. "Yes, Kairi?" He asked as the blush on her face crawled down her neck. She could be so bold, yet it was when she was flustered like this that he found himself falling in love with her again. A moan jumped out of his throat as Kairi gripped his erection. He breathed heavily as Kairi's hand caressed, pumped, and kneading him. All the while she was blushing like a virgin. "Kairi."

A shudder ran through her body as he spoke, he sounded so feral. Another shudder ran through her as his fingers ran across her core, sending sparks of pleasure through her. She could already feel how wet she was, it was leaking everywhere. But it seemed Uta wasn't done teasing, but she was.

In a swift movement, Kairi had Uta pinned to the bed beneath her. "Impatient?" Uta asked before Kairi shut him up with a kiss. His hands found her hips, moving her wet core against his throbbing member. Kairi sat back and lifted herself enough so she could slide him inside of her. A pleasured sigh filled the room as Kairi lowered herself onto him. Uta didn't let her relax too much before thrusting up into her, starting their pace.

Kairi had her hands on Uta's abs as she rode him. He would meet her thrust sporadically, nearly pushing her over the edge. "Uta..." She leaned back onto his legs, gaining a new angle and sending different sparks through her body. Uta sat up and pressed his lips to hers as he pulled her against him, emptying himself inside of her. "U-Uta...I..."

"Now let me do the work." He whispered against her lips, knowing what she was going to say. He twisted them around, laying Kairi back onto the bed. He began their pace again, slow and deep. Kairi was writhing under him, all but begging him to go faster.

Kairi almost let out a growl when Uta buried himself within her again, keeping the slow torturous pace. The fire in her was burning slowly, but stalled in it's place. "Uta, your killing me." She was silenced with a kiss and a harder thrust that made her gasp in a mix of pain and pleasure.

Uta sped up his pace, this was enough teasing. He watched Kairi beneath him, her breathing was heavy and her eyes were half shut, and he wondered how he kept his hands off of her for so long. How did he ever let those green eyes wander from his? He captured her lips again, promising she would always be his.

Kairi's mind was hazy and frenzied all at the same time. She was so close, but still so far. And she could feel Uta pulsing inside of her, he was at his limit. Her eyes snapped open as his hands found the pearl of nerves where their bodies were connected. Her head fell back as he messaged it, sending her over the edge. "UTA!"

They both panted as they came down from their high, their bodies still joined together. "Kairi." Uta spoke up, caressing the woman's face. "I love you."

Kairi smiled sleepily as Uta hovered above her. "I love you too."

"Marry me." Sleep suddenly fled from Kairi's mind. She blinked as Uta's red eyes stared back at her. He hadn't really said it as a question, but that wasn't what had stumped her. He had said the words. "I'm not giving you to anyone else."

"I don't want anyone else." Kairi replied, matching his intense gaze with one of her own. She reached up and held his face in her hand. "I don't need a ring or a fancy dress to be yours. Just you and me."

Uta smiled down at Kairi, she was perfect. He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss against her lips. "You and me." He repeated. "And our baby."

Kairi giggled at Uta's addition. "If we get a baby, then yes. And our baby."

Uta grinned as he pulled Kairi upright, pushing himself further into her. She gave a squeaky gasp at the movement. "Then I guess I better get to work." Another giggle broke through her lips before he silenced them, devouring her in a kiss. Tonight was far from over.

* * *

Sexy scene. As an apology for killing off baby. I'm sorry, but it had to be done.

Let me know what you thought of the chapter.


	15. Not Yet Broken

I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.

* * *

Kairi woke up to hands mapping her body, tracing veins and muscle seams. She stretched as her mind woke up. "Did I wake you?" Kairi opened her eyes to see Uta lounging beside her, an arm draped across her waist.

"No, but I'm glad it's you I woke up to." She frowned as Uta's hand traveled to her stomach. "Uta..."

"Even after a month..." He sighed before laying down, pulling Kairi against his bare chest. "I'm starting to think you don't want my child."

"Liar." Kairi pouted as Uta teased her. She felt heat flaring up in her cheeks. "Just admit it, you don't like leaving things to fate and chance."

Uta chuckled softly as he rolled on top of Kairi, looking down at her as his long hair curtained them off from the world. "And what makes you say that? I leave a lot of things to chance."

"Liar." Kairi gave Uta a mini glare that he returned with a curious head tilt. "You're the leader of the Clowns, you have everything planned. Clowns tipped off the CCG about 20th Ward. Clowns were the ones to set up the Auction to set the CCG on Mama's tail. You sent Sasaki the Eyepatch mask on purpose, knowing he was Kaneki. And Clowns made up most of Ayato-kun's fighting force when he broke into Cochlea. Not mentioning that you got him the access card." She noticed Uta watching her with a sort of proud smile, but there was a bit of sadness in them, regret maybe? "You've never left anything to chance Uta, it's what makes you you."

Uta shut his eyes and sighed, knowing Kairi was right. "It's easier when things go as planned. Then I know if I can control the fun I have. Last time I had too much fun...I scared you away." He noticed her frowning at his declaration. "It's been a long time since then. That day that Yomo and I had moved out, the night before I had let things get out of control. We had taken out a gang that was trying to take over. We beat them all and had a party, getting far too drunk. When I got home and went to put my leftovers away, there was no room in our fridge, and I had dropped my container of eyeballs. I wasn't in a caring mood, I was still having fun. The next morning had been a wake up call, fun came at a price. And I refused to let you pay it."

Kairi stared in shock, she had never asked what the two were up to when they went out at night, they were adults. She knew they had left to try and keep her safe, but she didn't know to what extent. She had just been a normal human back then. "You idiot. You broke my heart. I thought you were tired of me and my pathetic human existence."

"If that had been the case I would have killed you." Uta leaned down close to her face. "I was fresh into my addiction of you back then. I was trying so hard not to bite you again, just to have another taste of you." He placed a kiss on her forehead, then her nose, and finally her lips. "I would have done a lot more damage if I hadn't had left. Yomo even threatened to kill me if I didn't leave to let you calm down."

Kairi held Uta's face in her hands, staring into his black and red eyes. She had seen his human looking eyes many times, but they never looked like him. These were his eyes, his beautiful eyes. "Uta, let it be. It will happen in it's own time. Kind of like us." She giggled remembering how their friendship had changed. It had started out with her just being a curious human to the ghoul, then she went to honorary ghoul among their little circle of people, and now she basically married to the man she loved. "It's not like you planned there being an us."

Uta chuckled as he shook his head. He really hadn't planned on being with Kairi, but it was one of those perfect accidents. "No, but I wish I had. You are a wild card, my little spider." He placed another kiss on her lips before sitting up. "Shall we go make some breakfast?" Kairi opened her mouth to answer, but her stomach did that instead, growling like it hadn't been filled in days. Uta laughed again. "Shall I take that as a yes?"

Kairi nodded as she rolled to the side of the bed and got up. She made it to her closet and pulled out a silk robe. She threw it on and followed Uta down the stairs. "Surprise!" Kairi nearly fell down the stairs at the high pitch shout. She caught her breath as she held onto the railing, while glaring death at Roma. "Happy Birthday!"

"Roro-chan my birthday is in October, and it's almost February." Kairi grumbled as she shakily made her way down the stairs and collapsed onto the couch.

"But I brought presents." Kairi frowned as she looked over at Roma, the girl was bouncing with energy. "They hang like you." Roma pointed up at the ceiling, drawing Kairi's eyes.

Her eyes widened as she spotted four people hanging by their kagune on the ceiling. She recognized each of them, but they looked so much older than the last time she saw them. "Nee-chan!" The smallest of the four dropped, retracted their kagune and landed on the couch before bouncing onto Kairi and crushing her in a hug.

"Yu-chan." Kairi hugged the small boy, Tarantula's little brother. "You're so big. So you took over from Haruhi-chan?"

"Yep!" The little boy let her go and stood in front of her, saluting. "Jumping Spider reporting in from the East Nest." The kid pushing his green and blue spider mask up on top of his mess of brown curly hair.

Kairi looked over as the remaining three ghouls fell to the floor. She recognized all of them as the former lieutenants of her Generals. She let out a breath as she gave them all a low bow. "I apologize for my actions two years ago. I got your leaders killed and left you all on your own. My actions were inexcusable."

"They were logical." Kairi looked up as a tall woman stepped forward. A brown spider sat on the right side of her face, it's legs curling around her left eye. "Toru-sama trusted your judgements. And I do not see how you could have prevented what happened. You gave them the option and they made their choice." The woman removed her mask and gave her a small bow. "Recluse reporting in from the West Nest."

"You always did like being blamed for everything." Kairi frowned as the man with the orange spider on his face stepped forward, looking far too much like his twin. "Crab reporting in from the South Nest. Glad to see you in good health Black Widow." The man chuckled happily, much like his brother would have. But he didn't want to be in charge back then, he wasn't a fighter. So much had changed after her 'death'.

Kairi looked over at the last man in the room. A wolf pelt covered his head and shoulders, but the wolf had multiple eyes on it's head, Wolf's successor. His large muscled arms were crossed in front of him as he remained quiet, watching. "I smell them." Kairi nodded as she got up and walked over to her quinque case, returning to the couch and setting it in her lap. "They are one?"

"Yes. The CCG wanted to see if they could make a more powerful quinque. But it only worked with them because of how strong of a bond they had from working with each other." Kairi fondly rubbed the case, it was comforting to have them so close.

"What will you do now?" Kairi looked at the new Wolf, it felt very much like her first meeting with her Wolf. He had been quiet and intimidating, but he was loyal and always helped her when she needed it.

Kairi looked around the room at her new Generals, it was obvious that the Spider Clan was still intact, just missing it's head. "For now we stay low. The Doves are still on high alert after Cochlea. But keep your ears open, the One-Eyed King should be making his play soon."

"Are we going to join with this King?" Recluse asked, observing their leader curiously. "Do you know this King?"

"I do." Kairi said as she set the case down beside her. "I intend to talk to him and learn what he plans. But from what I remember about him, I imagine it has something to do with ghoul's and human's getting along."

"Been there, done that." Crab spoke with a dismissive wave. "But can he really do that? Human's aren't exactly understanding, you exempted."

Kairi chuckled as she released her control of her RC cells and allowed her kakugan to reveal itself. "Not human anymore. I'm now the same as Eyepatch, an artificial ghoul."

"Nee-chan is a ghoul now? So you eat humans too?" Yu asked as he scratched his head. "Does it bother you to eat humans?"

"She was eating humans before." Uta said as he set a plate of food down on Kairi's lap. "There is breakfast in the kitchen if you want some." He tilted his head, telling the others to go. They quietly complied, leaving the two alone. "I don't want you getting involved with this anymore."

Kairi rolled her eyes as she met the ghoul's serious look. "Uta-"

"No, listen." Uta vaulted over the couch and looked down at her while bracing himself on the couch. "I am not losing you again. So if I have to lock you in a box I will."

"Uta, I can take care of myself." Kairi understood what he was getting at, but it hurt that he didn't think she could take care of herself. "It was one time-"

"That's all it takes." Uta growled at the stubborn woman on his couch. "You are not getting involved."

Kairi set the plate of food down before glaring back at Uta. "Make me." She challenged. In an instant she was off the couch and suspended from the roof while Uta stood on the banister of the stairs, having been thrown there when she kicked him off of her. They glared at each other before Kairi dropped to the floor, waiting for Uta to attack. The man didn't disappoint, she twisted out of his hold and jabbed an epi pen into his leg. "I'm sorry."

Uta blinked as his vision became blurry. He staggered to his knees as he reached around his legs, fumbling to grab whatever Kairi had jabbed him with. It was obviously coated in RC suppressant, it had broken through his skin. And whatever was now running through his system was powerful. "What..." He fell over, but a pair of familiar arms held him as his vision continued to darken.

Kairi gave Uta a sad smile as the drugs did their job, knocking him out. She set him down on the floor before running up the stairs. She was dressed in her Black Widow uniform with her mask on her face in under five minutes. In the living room she found Roma and the four spiders looking at the knocked out Uta. "Let's go."

"Kairi-chan is leaving? But what about Uta?" Roma asked, confused as to what had happened between the two.

"I'm not leaving for good. I just need some space." Kairi stated as she picked up her quinque case. "Can you tell him that for me Roro-chan?" She gave the girl a smile as she ruffled her hair. She then turned to her generals. "Let's go, we have work to do."

"Yes ma'am!" They all spoke as they replaced their masks, time to start their return.

* * *

-Flashback-

The house was quiet as Kairi waited for her guests to arrive. Uta and Yomo were out, something to do with some Dove named Arima. So she was alone, and most likely for the rest of the night and the next day. So this was either perfect for them, or her.

She kept a hold of her quinque case as she waited. She had invited four ghouls, leaders of gangs that were scattered around the city. all of these gangs were small, but they covered large ares very well. And she found it interesting that they were all spider themed gangs. She felt a sort of kinship to them.

"You're a human?" Kairi spun around and looked at the man standing behind her. His mask was an orange spider that stood out against his dark brown hair. "Are you here to greet us or something? I thought Black Widow called us."

"Us?" Kairi asked, not seeing anyone else. She followed the man's finger as he pointed up, leading her to three others laying flat against the ceiling. "Hi." She greeted them all with a smile as they dropped to the ground, surrounding her. "Please have a seat, then we can get started."

"Wait, you're Black Widow?" A man with a brown spider sitting on his chin spoke up, his deep voice echoing on the walls. "But you smell like a human?"

"Well, that's because I am human." Kairi responded with a smile, causing the others to frown in confusion. "No I'm not suicidal, Uta-kun would kill me if I killed myself." The others frowned once more as she spoke, not understanding the relevance. "So, I have a proposition for you all, want to make a pact between all of your gangs?"

"Why would we want to be associated with those damn crustaceans?" A man in a white suit and white mask spoke gruffly while glaring at the others. "We Wolf Spiders have more pride than that."

"Who you calling a crustacean, mutt? At least we didin't get sympathy from the competition." Kairi sighed as the orange masked ghoul yelled at the other man. This was going as well as she thought it might.

Her attention was stolen as the smallest of the four stood in front of her. She was close enough that Kairi could see her piercing red eyes between the legs of the spider hugging her face. "What do you gain form this? Why would a human want to help us ghouls?"

"Shouldn't we help each other?" Kairi smiled as the ghoul watched her. "So what if we have different diets, I don't hate vegetarians for not eating meat. So why should I hate you for your eating habit?"

"She's insane." The orange masked man spoke up almost in defeat. "I heard eating people that are insane makes you insane."

"That's a myth." Kairi spoke up. "Uta-kun has eaten quiet a few people that have probably been insane or crazy. But he was kind of crazy before. You kind of have to be to be the leader of the Clowns. Or at least someone powerful in that gang. He's never told me his position." Kairi wondered aloud as the others digested the information.

*Knock Knock Knock* "CCG! Open up!" Kairi tensed as the shout came from the front door.

"Shit." Kairi hissed under her breath as she picked up her case and slid it back into it's secret drawer in the bookcase. She then pulled out an old board game and dropped it onto the floor. "Set this up while I stall." She told them as she ran for the front door, turning on lights as she went. She pulled open the front door and smile at the two Doves. "Hello there. How can I help you?"

"We got reports of possible ghoul activity. Are you in danger?" The man asked while trying to peak into the house.

Kairi waved her arms to make it seem like she was trying to keep their attention on her. "There are no ghouls here. Not a chance. They would have eaten me." Hopefully the others would play along with her. If they found nothing then they might suspect something and come back. But if they found just a bunch of people pretending to be ghouls, then they would discredit the claims and not come back. It was a gamble, but Kairi had pretty good luck.

"Would you mind if we take a look around-" The second Dove was interrupted when a shout came from the back room. Immediately the two sprang into action and ran down the hall. "CCG! Put your hands where we can see them!" The two Doves had their hands on their cases, ready to release them when they came into the living room. There were four people sitting around a board game, one empty spot in their circle. "Remove your masks slowly." He ordered as they all stared at the two men. They both relaxed when they saw that everyone had normal eyes.

"See, no ghouls just like I told you." Kairi told them as they walked back towards the front door. "But thank you for your concern, people feel a lot safer with guys like you around." She gave them a smile as they walked out the door and looked back at her one last time.

"If ever you hear anything, give us a call." With that the two men left.

Kairi sighed as she shut the door. "That was interesting." Kairi jumped as the small girl spoke up behind her. "You lied to them, why?"

"I have two friends staying with me. And since they are both ghouls I have to keep an eye out for Doves." She began explaining as she walked back into the living room. The three men were actually trying to play the game they had set up. "If they had found nothing, it would have looked suspicious. Luckily you guys made some noise and they did most of the work on their own. And since they found it just to be some kids playing games with masks on, pretending to be ghouls, they brushed it off as a false alarm."

"You are a strange human, Black Widow." Kairi giggled as the little girl shook her head. "About your proposal, you have my support." The room became quiet at her declaration. "You care about others, unlike other organizations and gangs that are popping up, and you want to help us. You are someone I would follow, Black Widow." Kairi was stunned even more when she gave her a low bow. "I, Tarantula, pledge my East Nest to your Spider Clan."

Kairi chuckled, the girl had named her little alliance she was trying to make. "Thank you, Tarantula." The girl straightened and bounced over to her, hugging her tightly. Kairi hugged her back, Tarantula was too cute.

"Wow, you got the squirt to bow." Kairi looked over at the man that had the orange spider on his face. He looked rather young, but the shadows around his eyes told her he had been through more than others his age. "She never bows to anyone. She must really see something good in you." the man walked up to Kairi and leaned down close to her, but she didn't even back away when his face was an inch from hers. "You're really not scared are you." He chuckled as he backed away a bit. "Alright, I'll stick around and see where this goes. Name is Carb, my South Nest is at your command, Black Widow."

"Thank you, Crab." Kairi thanked him before looking over at the last two men. Both of them looked far older than the others. They looked as old as some of her neighbors.

"I can see what Tarantula sees in you, human." Wolf spoke up before looking over at the other man near him. "It doesn't feel right letting the hatchlings run off on their own. We better keep an eye on them. Right, Brown Recluse?"

The other gentlemen shook his head as he laughed. "You never change do you Wolf." He walked up to the only human in the room, it was only her scent that gave her away. "My West Nest will join your Spider Clan, Black Widow. I hope we accomplish much in the future."

"My North Nest is at your command. What are your orders, Commander?" Kairi stared at Wolf in shock, they expected her to lead them. "We would fight for control amongst ourselves, but you have no allegiance to any of our Nests, so you will not favor one over the others. And this was your idea, take responsibility."

Kairi nodded at the older man's almost scolding, it hadn't spoken in a harsh tone. "Alright. For now set up a chain of command in your nests. Have a lieutenant to watch over thing while you are meeting with me, and then have different squads in your nest. The better organized you are, the easier it will be to relay orders. Then I want you to start establishing an information network. I want to know what's going on. CCG. Humans. Ghouls. Everyone." She got a nod from the four ghouls as she gave her orders. "I'll be in touch using the same method as I did before. I'll let you know where we are meeting then."

Another nod from all of them finished their meeting. In a few moments they were all gone and traveling back to their territories. Kairi was fairly surprised how easy that had been, ignoring the CCG interruption. But she had thought she would have had to fight a few of them at least.

"Someone's been busy." Kairi jumped at the sudden voice in the room. She spun around and found Uta and Yomo looking at her, unimpressed looks on their faces. "And here I thought I broke you of your suicidal habits." Uta sighed while leaning against the wall and letting Yomo take over.

"What we're you thinking?!" Yomo yelled at the girl. "Any one of those ghouls could have killed you five times over. And now they know where you live."

"But they're friends." Kairi smiled, trying to simmer Yomo's anger. But all he did was walk up to her and punch her on her head, giving her a goose egg. "Ow." She complained while holding her hurting head. She slid to the floor as she rubbed it, trying to lessen the pain. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

Uta chuckled as he pushed off the wall and walked over to Kairi. He squatted down and patted her head. "No more parties by yourself. You're not even legal yet."

"It's four months away!" Kairi complained as her two friends just chuckled. She sometimes hated being under aged.

* * *

-flashback end-

Uta sat and watched the entrance carefully. He had only seen Kaneki and other ghouls that were either Anteku or Aiogiri Tree walk in, not a spider in sight. The night was quiet as he waited to see what would happen tonight. He knew Kaneki was planning something with the other escapees from Cochlea, but what fun would he create? The kid was certainly a more interesting ghoul than most.

He watched as people left the meeting. He could name them all, but none were on his list. A sigh slipped through his lips as Raven landed beside him. "She wasn't there?"

Yomo shook his head as he removed his mask. "There weren't any spiders present, but I have a feeling they will still know what happened." He watched his friend curiously, he didn't seem too worried about finding Kairi. "Why do you do this? She was happy being by your side."

Uta let out a small bark of laughter as he lounged back. "A woman like her would never stay with a guy like me. I'm just in it for the fun."

"You're lying." Yomo watched as Uta laid back on the roof, smile gone from his face. "You just don't want her involved with the things you do. So why make her angry with you? You know she is going to kick your ass when she finds out."

"Maybe I'll be dead when she finds out." Uta stated under his breath. "Either way, she is gone and I can do what I do best."

Yomo let out a long sigh before he replaced his mask. "Do what you want, you do anyway, but don't expect me to come save you when Kairi sends you to Hell for all this shit you're giving her."

Uta stayed quiet as Yomo left, like he would ever need his help when it came to Kairi. He knew the girl better than himself sometimes. She could only fall asleep while snuggling something, and only on her right side. She would always forget one thing when she went out, most of the time something important. He chuckled as he listed off the little quirks Kairi had.

He let out a sigh as he stopped himself, he was missing her too much. He needed to focus, there was a plan to complete. Slowly he sat himself up and looked out over the city. Somewhere, out in the vast darkness of stone and glass, was his little spider. She was on her own and he didn't know where to find her, she always knew where to hide from him. "Stay safe Kairi."

* * *

More trouble in paradise. I really seem to like keeping these two apart. But hey, we now get to see Kairi working on her own as the leader of the Spider Clan. Any guesses as to where her hideout is?


	16. First

I do not own Tokyo Ghoul. Warning! There is a lemon.

* * *

Kairi sighed as she laid back in her bed. It didn't surprise her that it all looked the same as it did when she was younger. Her parents house had been abandoned, and since she still held the deed and made payments on the house, no one touched it. It still looked like the day she and her boys had moved out.

She rolled over and took in the sight of her room. It was risky to come here, it was someplace Uta would guess she would go. But she wanted something familiar, she was lonely. Another sigh escaped her lips, the trip wasn't helping, she just felt more alone.

"How can one place have so many memories?" Kairi asked as she sat up, smoothing out her pillow absentmindedly. She got off the bed and smoothed out the sheets. She guessed the CCG had checked the house, there were several things out of place, and she didn't want to alert the humans she had been by. Especially since their hideout was in 3rd Ward.

Heading back downstairs, she was surprised to see her generals in the kitchen drinking coffee. "Thought I told you guys to leave me alone." She comments before accepting a cup of coffee from Recluse.

"We have an update." Kairi paid attention as Wolf spoke. "Gourmet has been collecting white suits. Those damn bastards are useless." Kairi chuckled, Wolf wore a white suit, but it was styled differently than the White Suit's white suit. "What do you suppose he is planning?"

Kairi sipped her coffee as she thought of what Kaneki could be thinking. With his new organization of Goat, he could be planning on making the White Suits an anti-ghoul faction of ghouls. It would certainly be an interesting idea, but how would that force the CCG to collaborate with the White Suits? "Kaneki-kun is planning something large if he is bringing in the White Suits. What else have you heard?"

"A Clown visited them." Yu spoke up from his seat on the counter. "He apparently wanted to help them save that investigator they captured back in December."

"Akira-san." Kairi murmured under her breath. The last they heard about the investigator was that she was still unconscious and was recovering slowly. But if they got help from a Clown, then she wasn't doing well. "How did he help them?"

"He referred them to some human Doctor, that guy that used to be an expert on ghouls." Kairi nodded at the explanation, she knew who Crab was talking about. "Sadly we don't know what they were talking about, they were doing karaoke at the same time. But we did catch them mentioning something about RC suppressant." Kairi giggled thinking of Sasaki singing karaoke, he wasn't that good, always singing in a monotone voice.

The room lapsed into silence, they were waiting for their Commander to give them their orders. Kairi finished her coffee and set it down in the sink. "Keep an eye on the One-Eyed King and the Clowns. I want to know when they are moving." She got a nod from her generals before they started leaving the room, heading for the patio doors.

"Black Widow." Kairi looked over as Recluse stood with her arms folded and her face set in a determined expression. "Please do not run around on your own in your fragile state." The room grew tense as everyone looked between the two females. "Do not think we have not noticed the changes to you and your scent. It is the same as three years ago, if not slightly different due to your change. But please do not endanger yourself or your offspring so carelessly."

Kairi gave a light sigh, of course Recluse would be the one to confront her. "Alright, I promise to let you know when I plan on doing anything reckless. Although be warned, that may be often." She chuckled as a few of the men slumped their shoulders.

"You wouldn't be Black Widow otherwise." Crab commented, rubbing the back of his head. "No wonder brother was always tense when he came back from a meeting, you have no sense of self preservation."

Kairi shrugged innocently. "I grew up with two investigators as parents and then two ghouls that treated me like one of them. How could anyone have self preservation when you grow up in that kind of environment?" She laughed as a few of her generals sighed in exasperation.

"Please, be more careful." Kairi gave Recluse a nod while the woman remained unmoving during the entire conversation, someone had to be the adult. Kairi just waved off the comment, complaining softly under her breath.

"Let's go back. We've lingered too long." Kairi slid open the patio door and stepped out into the morning air. There was a slight chance people might be up, but the area was lax, there weren't any reported ghouls in the area. She latched her kagune onto the side of the house, pulling herself up and launching herself into the air.

They continued to do the same till they reached the houses that were closer together. Then they changed to running across the rooftops. They stopped at an apartment complex, their new HQ.

Kairi climbed down to the patio of the penthouse apartment. "I'm taking a shower. Get your reports in order and update everyone." She got a nod from everyone as she walked into the large, silent apartment. She had gotten this place as Sakuna Kuro, for when the nightmares got really bad. The only people that knew about this place were Akira-san and Sasaki-kun.

Closing the door to the bathroom, she leaned back and stared at the single light above her. Her hand came to rest on her stomach. ' _I'm not losing this one._ ' Kairi vowed as she stripped out of her clothes, hoping to take the nostalgia with it.

* * *

~Flashback~

Kairi sighed as she sat in her desk and stared out the window. The weather was nice out and the last place she wanted to be was in class. More specifically, they were getting a presentation from the CCG on ghoul awareness. As well as what to do when you think you have found a ghoul, or if you get attacked by one. She laughed at the least part, the only thing you really could do was scream and die. Or be silent and die. Either way, you died.

"Does anyone have any questions?" The investigator asked while looking around the room. A few students raised their hands. "Yes? What's your name young man?"

"Kirigaki Kira, sir. What classes do we have to take to be accepted at the academy?" Kairi perked up a bit at the question. Her parents were investigators, so she already had some insight. But the two present didn't know her relation, so it would be good to get a second opinion that was unbiased.

"Are you interested in joining the force?" The man chuckled with his partner. He rubbed his chin as he thought on the question. "Well, I know several investigators that got through the academy that didn't do too well. But that is still no reason to settle. The more knowledge you have the better equipped you will be for life."

His partner nodded in agreement. "That said, even if you get accepted, it's not guaranteed that you will graduate and become an Investigator. You might become a Monitor or be given another job within the CCG." The two shared another nod, finishing their answer. "Any other questions?"

Kairi bit her lip as she raised her hand. When the man pointed to her she stood up. "Is there no way we can coexist with the ghouls?" The room became dead silent. She panicked a bit as the adults and some of her classmates gave her worried, maybe even disgusted, looks. "The longer we fight against each other, the more people die. My parents are investigators, I don't want to lose them."

The man nodded as he processed the question. "What was your name?"

"Shimoto Kairi." Kairi answered calmly, hiding the worry eating at her from the inside. Could they tell she was a sympathizer? Was she even a sympathizer? Of course she was, her best friends were ghouls.

"Oh!" The investigator snapped his fingers. "You're Tousen-san's kid. He's spoken about you quite often. Says you are going to be an amazing investigator one day. Maybe even as great as Arima-san." The man chuckled before nudging his partner. "Now her question makes sense, ne Yakama-san? Tousen-san is always trying to get himself out of a fight." The two men chuckled once more.

Yokoto cleared his throat. "Back to your question, Shimoto-chan, it's true that conflict brings death, but so can peace. Even if we did not fight with the ghouls, they still eat humans. And they don't see themselves as part of our society, our laws don't apply. That is where the conflict arises." He looked back to his partner. "Anything to add Hirabayashi-san."

Hirabayashi shook his head. "I think you summed it up." He then turned to the teacher and gave her a smile. "Thank you for letting us speak to your class. We apologize for not using all of your time."

Kairi zoned out and focused back on outside as the adults exchanged pleasantries. She didn't understand what all of the problem was. How was it so hard to get along with ghouls? They all got along with vegetarians.

"Shimoto Kairi." Kairi tuned into the teacher as her name was called. "Please go to the office." Kairi sighed as she got up from her seat with all of her things. She could feel all of the students watching her, judging her. She took the slip of paper from the teacher and began the long walk to the principle's office.

She looked down at the slip to read what it was for. The teacher had marked off the box for counseling and in the box beside it had written human relationship problems. Kairi shook her head as she got to the office and opened the door.

"How may I help you?" Kairi approached the secretary's desk and passed her the slip of paper. The woman looked at the sheet for a good five minutes before speaking. "Have a seat. Mochizuki-sensei will come collect you shortly." Kairi sat on one of the uncomfortable chairs to wait for the counsellor.

She waited about ten minutes before a smiling man walked up to her. "Shimoto-san? I'm Mochizuki-sensei, but you can call me Mochi-san." Kairi gave him a small bow after she had risen from her seat. "Why don't we step into my office and we can chat." He led her into the bright, white room and motioned for her to sit down on one of the silver chairs he had. "I talked to Ashikaga-Sensei, and he feels you've become disconnected with the class. That you are trying to isolate yourself. Is there anything you would like to talk about? Problems at home?"

Kairi fidgeted a bit, the chair was cold against her legs. "Nothing is wrong at home. It's the same as it has always been."

Mochizuki nodded as he watched the student. "Ashikaga-Sensei also mentioned a question you posed to a pair of investigators."

Kairi nodded, she knew that would raise a red flag. "I worry about my parents, they're all I have."

"No other relatives? No friends you would call family?" Mochi leaned forward onto his desk. "I understand if you don't feel comfortable around people yet, you just moved in two weeks ago. But this school has a lot of people with strong opinions. It's unfortunate but i's true. And I don't want to see you excluded and bullied because they see you as different."

"Thank you, Mochi-san." Kairi forced a smile onto her face. "Would it be alright if I went home early? It's last period, and my parents should be getting home from work soon. They were out in the field today."

Mochizuki nodded as he pulled out a slip of paper. "Of course. Just give this to the secretary. She will make sure your teacher doesn't mark you as absent." He handed the girl the slip as she got up from her seat. "If there is ever anything you want to talk about, my door is always open."

Kairi gave the man another smile as she took the piece of paper and left the office. She handed it to the secretary and left the school.

* * *

It was only a ten minute walk to the school to her house. As soon as she got home, she ran up to her from to change out of her school uniform. She pulled on a pair of shorts and a tank top, followed by an off the shoulder shirt and knee high socks. She skipped back down the stairs and into the kitchen. She skidded to a stop when she saw someone was already there.

"Welcome home Kairi." Uta spoke as he explored the little kitchen. "Your parents drink terrible coffee." He pointed behind his back at pot of cold coffee.

Kairi sighed as she walked over to the coffee maker to clean the cold drink out. "It's instant coffee. Nothing like what Yomo-kun is practicing with." She poured the dark liquid down the sink and rinsed the sink with water to get rid of the smell. "How long have you been here?"

Uta shrugged as he jumped up onto the counter to sit. "A few hours. Your locks are weak. Your parents don't even close their bedroom window."

"So that's why it gets so hot during the day." Kairi complained as she dropped the coffee filter and used grounds into the trash. She then went around the kitchen grabbing things so she could start cooking dinner. "Why did you break in?" She asked the ghoul curiously, he hadn't showed any interest in her house before. Mostly just teasing her about her parents and their standards.

"I wanted to see what your life was like." Uta watched as the human moved about, not feeling any danger with him being so close. "You put up with a lot when you are with me and Yomo-kun. I wanted to know how bad you had it here. But it looks rather plushy." He had thought she might have been abused in some way. How else would she be not scared of ghouls?

Kairi stood by the stove and waited for everything to heat up. "I guess, but that has nothing to do with my patience. I envy you both." She noticed Uta stare at her with a mixture of shock and confusion. "You both get to be who you want to be, you're free."

"We are hated." Uta grumbled as he pulled a severed finger out of his pocket and began chewing on it. He looked over and noticed Kairi was frozen in her place. "What?" She didn't look scared, and her heart rate was normal. She turned away and busied herself with her cooking. "What was that?"

"I guess-" Kairi stopped herself as she collected her thoughts. "I was wondering-"

"So this is where you went." Kairi let out a squeak as Yomo spoke up directly behind her. Yomo looked down on the human with a raised eyebrow. Had she not heard him? "You didn't lock the front door."

"Because no one just walks into another person's house!" Kairi glared at the man before turning back to her family's dinner. "And no human is that quiet." She grumbled under her breath, not knowing the two could hear her.

Kairi's head snapped up as she heard the front door open. "We're home!" Kairi looked around the kitchen to tell the two to leave, but they were already gone. Her eyes landed on a mound on the counter, a severed finger. "Are you making dinner?" Kairi panicked and grabbed the finger, stuffing it into the small front pocket in her shorts as her parents walked into the kitchen. "Smells wonderful."

* * *

Kairi sighed as she closed her bedroom door. Dinner had gone well. Her parents didn't suspect anything to be off. Kairi thought for certain the finger in her pocket would suddenly move and everything would fall apart. She had been hyper aware of the dead flesh in her pocket the entire night. It didn't leak anything, but it was slightly uncomfortable to have some dead person's finger in your pocket. And she hoped it was a dead person's finger, not someone walking around with a missing finger.

She changed her brightly colored knee highs for a pair of black ones and her bright shirt for a grey one. Tonight she was meeting the guys on their roof. It was becoming a routine now. She would get home from school and act normal. Then, when her parents wished her goodnight, she would set up her bed so it looked like she was in it, but really she was sneaking out to hang out with her friends.

Kairi pulled her old sneakers out from under her bed and tied them on before climbing out her window and closing it almost completely. She then tiptoed to the edge of the roof and climbed down. She had rac ticked this route a lot, claiming it to be a home invasion escape plan. She then checked for a clear coast before taking off in a run.

The path to the roof was well known now. Head right after leaving through the front gate of her house. Then take the first right, straight twice, left, right, straight till the dead end. Then it was a simple climb onto the wall of the apartments in the area, and a straight run to the destination. The only tricky part was if the ladder hadn't been lowered. But if the guys got here first it usually was down.

Kairi let out a satisfied sigh as she stepped onto the rooftop, the sun had set but the sky was still colorful. "This view never gets old." She commented as she sat down between the two ghouls. She noticed a few bruises here and there, but they weren't out of breath, so there was nothing to worry about. Kairi reached into her pocket and pulled out the appendage she had found. "You left this."

Uta smirked as he took the finger and began nibbling on it. "I'm surprised you picked it up."

"Well I couldn't let my parents see it. You left it on the counter!" She tried shoving the boy, but he didn't budge at all. "Next time you visit, take your food with you when you leave."

"So I can visit whenever I want?" Uta asked the girl, chuckling slightly when she glared at him. "Maybe Yomo-kun can make coffee?"

"I just started, I'm not that good yet." Yomo complained as he looked over at the human. She could rat them out at any time, but she wasn't. "You're dangerous."

Kairi looked over at the silver haired man, watching his rigid posture, ready to fight. "But I'm human. Just a weak pathetic human. We could probably name a thousand and one ways I could die, and less than half of them would kill either of you."

"You think of dying a lot?" Uta asked the usually chipper girl curiously. He hadn't thought her mind could be morbid, she was always so positive and happy.

Kairi paused and looked out over the sunset. "Sometimes, when I'm alone. I've gotten better. I used to be a lot worse, cutting and stuff like that." She absentmindedly ran a hand over her arms. The scars were gone, her parents had paid the doctors to get rid of them.

"Shit." Yomo muttered, seeing the human in a new light. "Guess the stereotypes go both ways."

"What's that on your leg?" Uta asked, drawing the other's attention to a circular scar on the human's leg. There was only a small part visible, but the line looked broken. "Are those teeth marks?"

Kairi pulled her shorts down, covering the scar. "It's nothing."

"Did someone bite you?" Uta asked, his voice growing serious. Someone had touched his human.

"IT WAS A LONG TIME AGO!" Kairi shouted at the blonde, tears filling her eyes. It was one scar her parents could never know about. "He's long gone now." She didn't know how to feel about Saito Riku. He had been her boyfriend last year, but only told her about being a ghoul just before...

"Earth to Kairi." Uta sang as he knocked on her head, she was spacing out. When he still got no response, he poked her side. She gave a squeak as she jumped forward, off the edge of the building.

Kairi's brain snapped back to reality as both ghouls grabbed her and pulled her back onto the edge of the roof. She blinked a few times before looking to both of them. "Thank you." She mumbled as she scooted a bit further back from the edge. "Sorry."

"The dumb ass should be the one apologizing." Yomo grumbled as he shifted in his seat. The human seemed to have zero levels of self preservation.

Uta simply shrugged as he looked back at Kairi's lap, her clothes still covering the scar. Despite what she had claimed, the scar wasn't any older than a year at most. Probably only a few months old. The fact that it was so thin made it hard to notice at first.

Kairi sighed as she got up from her spot, it wouldn't be long till they started interrogating again. "I should get back. I have an early day tomorrow."

"I'll walk you back." Uta offered as he got up after the girl. "Yomo-kun walked you back last time."

"I wasn't aware we were taking turns." Kairi giggled as Yomo walked along with them. The three of them walked silently with each other. Only waving when they finally reached Kairi's house. Yomo and Uta watched as the girl climbed back into her bedroom. "What do you think happened?"

Uta knew he was referring to the bite on Kairi's leg. "Whatever it is, we are finding out." He vowed as he turned away from the house, now his work really began.

* * *

Kairi was having a terrible morning. Her alarm hadn't fully woken her up the first time, or the second time. She also had to run out of the house after grabbing her lunch to make it in time for class, missing breakfast. Then she was reminded that today was a special day at school. Instead of their normal lessons, they were going to learn from professionals about the jobs they had.

There were several classes to choose from for each period, but they had already signed up for classes the first day of school. And these same classes would be occurring at other times during the year, giving them a chance to visit them all. And any classes that didn't have great popularity would be changed to different ones.

Kairi's first class had been a cooking class with a chef from one of the popular restaurants in town. She was really grateful that they got to taste everything that was made in the class. Even more so when they were allowed to cook a small dish then eat it. She had only made a simple omelette roll, but the chef had complemented her on how perfectly her egg was cooked and the how well balanced her seasoning had been. Kairi was even more surprised when he had recommended her to continue her education in the culinary arts.

Her second class of the day had been an art class. Most of the students in the class with her had been hoping to do some actual painting or art. But instead they were taught how to examine art and explain the meaning of it. She was pretty sure half the class had fallen asleep. And she was among those students.

Lunch had been a welcomed break. Her mother had packed her a lunch before she and her dad had gone off to work for the day. It was their normal morning routine. And one of the reasons why Kairi made sure her alarm would wake her up. And why she was always stressed when it didn't

The next two classes passed by quickly and uneventfully. One was on the CCG and the various jobs that they offered. Most people were interested in being investigators, but Kairi thought the technicians had the more interesting job. They were the ones that made the quinques after all. The second class had been on teaching. Kairi slept through it, she wasn't ashamed of that.

The last class was not one Kairi was looking forward to, but it was the only one she didn't hate that was scheduled for this time slot. She sat near the back and watched as the other students filled in the rest of the seats. Up at the front were various containers and small machines. And sitting in a car seat was one of those robotic babies. This class was on being a nurse, specifically a nurse in a fertility clinic.

"Welcome class." The woman spoke up happily to the room full of students. "Welcome to Fertility Nursing."

"Sperm collector." One boy coughed, sending the others into giggles.

The teacher herself giggled at the immaturity. "Yes, I collect sperm and eggs in order to make babies. So I might have even helped in making some of you. Fertility is a problem a lot of couples have. More often than not, couples have problems conceiving within the first few years of marriage."

"But teens get pregnant all the time." A girl spoke up from the front of the room.

"Well, your bodies are younger and healthier, so it's easier most of the times." The teacher picked up a basket. "And since we are on the topic, I want everyone to take one of these." She passed the basket to the first student in a row. "Don't worry, it's just condoms. Practicing safe sex is something I think all of you should know about. We can't stop you from having sex, but we can help you keep from getting pregnant. Because if you do, and you get an abortion, it will be much harder for you to get pregnant when you finally want kids."

Kairi took the box from the boy beside her. She reached in and grabbed a small packet before passing the basket forward. She stared at the small square as her mind pulled up old memories. Riku smiling at her as they cleaned their classroom together. Riku dragging her into a pool during swim class. Riku's red and black eyes as her blood dripped from his mouth.

"Any questions?" Kairi's mind focused back on the teacher and away from the darkness in her head. "Yes, you in the back?"

Kairi looked up at her hand, wondering why it had gone up. She nervously looked around as everyone focused on her. She stood up hesitantly and fidgeted with her skirt. "Can the pregnancy fail?"

"Fail? You mean a miscarriage?" The teacher smiled at the student, she was worried no one would ask a question and she would be left with extra time. "There are many things that can lead to miscarriages. Abuse on the fetus is a major one. High stress on the mother is another. And malnutrition of either the mother or the fetus is a common one as well. After that we get into more obscure and less likely scenarios, but those are still known to happen."

"Malnutrition?" The question came up from the side of the room, giving Kairi the chance to sit back down. "Doesn't it just get stuff from the mother?"

"It should. But if the fetus has a birth defect, say... the inability to absorb certain vitamins. Then it hinders the development of the fetus." The teacher explained carefully so as not to confuse anyone. "The pregnancy can make it to term, but by then it's usually a still-born or very underweight. Any other questions?"

Kairi tuned out once more as more questions were asked. Her mind delving back into the darkness it had poked at. Her hand covered the scar hidden under her skirt. She could feel the heat of Riku's mouth on it. Kissing it before his teeth sunk into it. Then his tongue soothing away the sting. That was when she first saw his red and black eyes, his ghoul eyes. She felt fear creep into her as Riku watched her, she was his meal now.

The bell interrupted her thoughts this time. She grabbed her bag and quickly left the room. But the hall was too crowded and everyone was going everywhere. Being on the fourth floor, everyone was heading for the stairs to go down. But the stairs to the roof were empty, so Kairi quickly cut through the crowd and went out onto the roof.

She took a deep breath as she calmed down. The last thing she need was to have a meltdown in the middle of the school. Especially after yesterday.

"You look like you need a smoke." Kairi screamed as she pressed herself against the fence around the roof. Standing beside her was a red haired woman with a cigar between her lips. She pulled it away and blew out a puff of smoke as she held it out to the girl. "You want a hit?"

"No thank you." Kairi replied as she observed the woman. "You aren't a student are you?" The woman shook her head. "How did you get up here?"

The woman chuckled as she leaned on the fence. "Can't you guess? Uta said you were smart."

Kairi blinked as the answer clicked. "Oh." She frowned as the woman burst into laughter. "Cut me some slack, I've had a rough day."

"I can tell. Name's Itori. So you're Kairi-chan." Itori smiled as she observed the girl. She looked upset...no, disturbed was a better word. "Something the matter?"

"It's nothing." Kairi spun around, flinching when a slap sound drew their attention to a small silver packet on the ground. "Um..."

Itori chuckled as she picked up the condom. "So, you and Uta-kun? Or is it Yomo-kun? Honestly they both have something going for them."

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Kairi snapped at the woman. She took a deep breath, trying to stop herself from crying. "I-it's n-n-not..." She gave up and sat back against the fence as her body broke down into sobs.

Itori didn't know what to do, so she did what came naturally. She knelt down and hugged the girl tightly. Kairi curled up into her arms as she cried, hard and loud. "I'm listening." Itori spoke as she rocked back and forth.

Kairi shut her eyes and she was back in her old house in 16th Ward.

* * *

~Flashback~

Kairi giggled as she sat on her bed with her phone in her lap. It buzzed as another text arrived. "They gone?"

She bit her lip as she wrote out a reply. "Yep. Won't be back for a month."

A few minutes passed before another text arrived. "Can I come in?"

"The door is open." She sent off the text before tossing her phone onto her nightstand and running off towards the front door.

"Kairi?" She snuck down the stairs, trying to catch Riku off guard. She spun around, hoping to scare him, but he was already in front of her. "Boo!" She squeaked and fell back, but he caught her and hugged her tight to him. "Got you."

Kairi's laugh was cut off as a pair of lips covered her's. She smiled as she kissed her boyfriend. "Why can I never sneak up on you?" She asked when they broke apart for air.

Riku chuckled as he nuzzled against Kairi's neck. "You're way too loud for sneaking." His laugh continued as Kairi pouted cutely at him. He pecked her lips repeatedly until she broke into giggles again. "I will never get tired of that sound." He kissed her again, this time sliding his tongue between her smooth lips and tasting her.

Kairi all but melted as Riku lavished her mouth. This was a highlight of being in a relationship. "So, what shall we do next?" She asked breathlessly, biting her lip when she saw Riku's confident smirk.

Riku reached up and pulled her lip out from between her teeth. "Mine." He spoke before he kissed her again, biting her lip and drawing a moan from her throat. His hands traveled down to Kairi's legs, lifting her onto his hips and carrying her.

Kairi wrapped her legs around Riku's waist as he carried her up the stairs. He had been in her room before, but with her parents home they had't been able to do anything more than kiss. She shivered thinking what they could do with her parents gone.

Riku chuckled darkly as he climbed onto Kairi's bed, pressing her into the neat, flattened sheets. "Now what are you thinking?" He teased as he kissed down her throat. Another moan sounded from the female, causing her neck to vibrate. "God your sexy."

Kairi smiled as her hands traveled across Riku's chest, heading for the bottom edge. Riku sat back before she reached it, pulling his shirt off and revealing his mildly toned chest. He was on the swim team, so he was definitely in shape. She followed suit and pulled her shirt off, leaving her in her baby pink bra.

"Now that's adorable." Riku commented as he drank in the sight of Kairi's almost naked body.

"It's a matching set." A groan came from Riku as he leaned back down and captured Kairi's lips. "Want to see?" She pushed agains't Riku's chest, forcing him to sit up so she could slide out from under him. She got up from the bed and unbuttoned her jeans. She slid them down her legs and kicked them off, leaving her in only her undies and bra. "You like?"

"I think I would like you back on this bed." Riku commented as he got up from the bed, taking off his own pants. He chuckled as her eyes roamed over his body. He held out his hand to her. "Come." Kairi took a nervous breath as she placed her hand in his. He pulled her to him, pressing their skin together. "I'll take care of everything." She shivered as he whispered in her ear before picking her up and laying her back on the bed.

Riku started another kiss, this one not as intense as the others. His hands roamed over Kairi's body, sending shivers everywhere. His hand snaked under her body, unsnapping her bra. Kairi discarded the restraining garment and moaned as Riku messaged her breasts, rolling her nipple with his thumb. Riku pulled his lips away from Kairi's, relocating them to her left breast. "Riku." Kairi moaned as his teeth pinched her nipple, heating her body.

The sensation continued when he moved to her other breast, the cold air teasing her wet nipple further. But the sensation she was feeling was forgotten when Riku's hand glided across her hips, under the band of her panties. His hand remained there, asking for permission. "Riku?" His head came up, releasing her nipple with a pop. She pulled his face to her, covering his lips with hers before leaning to his ear. "Please."

Riku turned his head and stared into Kairi's vivid green eyes, they were always so enchanting. "As you wish." With one motion he slide her panties off of her body, leaving her as naked as the day she was born. He sat back, staring in awe at her untouched skin. Blush spread across her face as she covered herself. He chuckled as he pulled off his boxers, making himself equally as naked. "Don't hide from me, cause I'm not hiding from you." He pulled her arms away, kissing her face to distract her.

Kairi felt her face instantly heat up, there was something poking at her stomach, and she knew full well what it was. A gasp escaped her lips as Riku's fingers found their way between her legs. Touching her most private place. Her blush flared more as Riku leaned back and spread her legs apart, but her eyes never left him.

Riku slowly slid a single finger inside of Kairi, moaning at the tightness he felt. He added another finger and chuckled as Kairi rotated her hips. "You like that?" He leaned forward as he messaged Kairi's inner walls with his fingers. Her eyes were glued to his as he pressed his forehead to her. "You're going to make me cum before we even start."

"Then maybe we should." Kairi giggled at the shock on Riku's face. Her hands came up to rest on his cheeks. "Make love to me."

Riku nodded before leaning down and capturing Kairi's lips. He slid his fingers out and coated his dick with the juices on them. He lined himself up and slowly pushed the tip in before he pulled his lips away form Kairi's. "This is going to hurt, since it's your first time." Kairi gave him a nod as he continued to push himself inside. He had to retreat a few times, but when he came to her barrier he paused. "Ready?" He saw Kairi's eyes screw tight as he pulled back, then slammed forward, sheathing himself fully.

Kairi let out a small whimper. "Ow." Riku stayed still, kissing the few tears that fell. She took a few deep breaths, letting the sting settle down. Once had subsided, she was left with a new, full feeling. She adjusted her hips and gasped as a new wave of pleasure washed over her. There was a bit of pain, but she was heating up again. "Move."

Riku obeyed and slid his dick in and out of her tight pussy. He growled as her walls hugged him tight then sucked him back in. "Fuck. Kairi." He panted as he picked up the pace a bit.

Kairi grabbed onto the sheets, she needed to ground herself. Her body felt like it was on fire, tingling and tensed. It felt like there was a spring compressing in her lower abdomen, and she so badly wanted it to snap. "Riku." She moaned out as he placed his hands by her head, thrusting harder, but more erratically.

Riku locked eyes with Kairi, watching her. He could feel her clenching down on his dick, trying to push him over the edge. He pressed his forehead to hers. "Cum with me." He let out a chocked breath as Kairi clamped down on him, pushing him into his orgasm with her own. He watched as her eyes shut, her mind focusing on her orgasm. He pumped himself a few more times, finishing his own. He sat back and watched as Kairi relaxed. "How was that?"

Kairi lazily opened her eyes and looked up at the god sitting between her legs. "Fucking perfect." Riku smiled down at her before sliding out of her and laying down beside her. Kairi rolled over and nestled herself into his arms. Falling asleep, satisfied and tired.

Kairi woke up to a warm fuzzy feeling that was quickly turning hot. She opened her eyes to see Riku between her legs, his hands on her belly. "Morning." She spoke up, not surprising him at all.

"Morning." Riku spoke up before placing a kiss on her hip. "Sleep well?" He watched as Kairi's eyes shut and she nodded. "Sore anywhere?"

"A little, but it doesn't hurt." Kairi propped herself up on her elbows as she watched Riku retreat. "What are you doing?"

"Cleaning." Kairi eyed him as his head dipped down and he liked her lower lips. She gasped, her legs clenching together. "If you do that, then I can't work." Riku easily pushed her legs back open. He then went back to his teasing.

"Riku...stop...after last night...there's probably blood..." Kairi's mind was trying to process what she was feeling, but it was slowly melting away. She let out a small whimper when his mouth vanished. But it reappeared on her upper thigh, sucking and nipping at the skin. She gave a sharp hiss and he broke through the skin, but then his tongue was liking it gently. ' _How did he break the skin so easily?_ ' She opened her eyes to investigate, but stopped.

Riku stared back, blood dripping from his lips as his black and red eyes stared at her. Kairi was frozen, his eyes were cold and calculating, he was a ghoul. His hand came up towards her and she flinched away, knowing he was going to kill her. "Kairi?" She looked back, but even without the black eyes that was all she saw. Riku sat back, knowing what was coming. "I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you-"

"Get out." Kairi demanded as she pulled herself up onto her pillow. Riku knelt to crawl over to her, but she wasn't going to let him. "GET OUT!" She picked her phone up from the bedside table and threw it at him. A crack was heard as it hit him before falling onto the bed. She let out a chocked sob, this wasn't a bad dream.

"I'm sorry." Riku got up from the bed and grabbed his clothed from the floor. He shut the door behind him. His parents were going to kill him, but he would rather it be him than her. He could never hurt her.

Kairi remained still as Riku collected his things and left the room. Once the door closed she started to shake. She refused to make a sound, she would not let him hear her. She just picked up her phone and crawled under her blankets, crying herself back to sleep.

* * *

~Flashback end~

"Kairi?" Itori asked as the girl calmed down. She sniffles a few more times, but the terms had stopped. "Want to talk about it?" Kairi nodded stiffly as the woman continued to hold her. "Talk, I'm listening."

"Saito Riku, he was my last boyfriend." Kairi began, sliding her skirt up to reveal the bite scar on her leg. "My parents didn't know about him, he was a secret. My parents went away on a vacation, I had exams so I stayed behind. He was my first." Itori smiled, Kairi seemed to have enjoyed it at least. "The next morning, we were going to start again, but he bit me. I don't know why he did or what made him do it, but he did. And when I looked at him he had those black and red eyes that all ghouls have."

"He never told you?" Itori was a bit pissed, the guy was an idiot for getting involved with a human, but a bastard for not telling her the truth.

Kairi shook her head. "It shocked me. He looked so different, looked at me so different. I panicked and kicked him out." She ran her finger over the scar, wishing she could feel that heat again. "He didn't come to school the next week. By the end of the week I was worried sick. I knew I overreacted and I wanted to talk things out with him. But I was too late. The next week there were investigators at the school, they had killed him and his entire family, and we're looking for any other ghouls that might be hiding at the school."

"I'm so sorry." Itori rubbed a hand down the girl's arm, comforting as best as she could.

"The worst part, I got pregnant." Kairi's voice quivered as she spoke. "But it hurt, it hurt so much. But eventually I just started bleeding, there was so much blood."

Itori hugged the girl tighter. "You're a human, humans and ghouls can't have kids together." The girl shuddered as more tears threatened to spill from her cheeks. She shushed the girl as she began to rock again. "It's alright now, you never have to live through that again."

* * *

I don't know if I enjoy causing pain or if I just like fucking with my character. I'm certainly making her complex. And a flashback within a flashback, sorry if that got confusing.

Let me know what you thought of the chapter.


	17. Promise

I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.

* * *

"Status report." Kairi walked into the main communication room in their head quarters. There were screens scattered around the room with a controller at each one. Her generals were all gathered in front of the main monitor.

"Clowns have engaged the CCG, but they're getting slaughtered." Crab commented as multiple feeds popped up on the monitor. "White Suits and Goat have also arrived on the scene. They're helping the CCG by the looks of it."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." Wolf spoke up while looking between the feeds. "There." He spoke up as he pointed to a figure on the monitor wearing a white suit and with only one eye showing through his mask. "The One-Eyed King."

"Any other notables?" Kairi looked around the screens, trying to spot anyone familiar. She smirked as she spotted a woman with a Doberman mask. 'Irimi, good to see you made it through as well.'

"I've got a visual on No-Face!" One of the other controllers shouted out while raising his hand. Kairi walked over to his station. "One the bridge, Red Wolf squad spotted him. He's engaging Jason's Killer." Kairi chuckled, Juuzou would laugh at the nickname the ghouls had given him, it was unoriginal.

Kairi nodded as she memorized the location. "I'm off." She was stopped by an unimpressed looking Recluse. "I'm not fighting. Just want to keep an eye on things. If you want, you can even come along."

"I'll go with her." Yu spoke up as he bounced over to her side. "Any sign that she wants to engage will be met with a firm 'no'." He gave Recluse his largest smile as he saluted her.

"Like that will deter her." Recluse mumbled to herself. She ran a hand through her hair before letting out an exasperated sigh. "Keep us informed. If we see any problems from our end we will be coming to get you."

Kairi waved off her worries as she picked up her mask and slid it into place. Next thing she grabbed was her Quinque case before she ran out the patio door and jumped off the side of the building. Her kagune latched onto the building, giving her a footing to jump away and towards another building. Yu kept up with her easily, but stayed behind her a ways.

Finding the fighting was not hard, the scent of blood lead the way. Kairi taped out of sight, the Spiders weren't part of this conflict. Her eyes were drawn to a figure standing on a bridge, large scythe in hands. "Juuzo." He was just staring off into the night.

The scent of a familiar blood drew her attention to ground level. She slowly snuck around the base of the bridge nearby. Looking around a corner she came across a disturbing sight. A mangled looking body, face barely recognizable as Sasaki's, lay on the ground, Mutsuki stealing it with her clothes missing or moved out of the way.

She turned away from the sight, breathing deeply to calm the rage she was feeling. Mutsuki was one of her kids. What had happened to the girl?

"Isn't that-" Yu shut himself up when Kairi pushed off the wall and began walking away from the scene around the corner. "Aren't you going to help him? Those injuries-"

"Are nothing. He can take care of himself." Kairi kept repeating that to herself as her hand drifted to her lower stomach. Uta could take care of himself, and she needed to take care of herself. "Looks like Goat and the White Suits have it covered here. Let's go back." Yu gave her a nod, ready to follow her lead. Kairi gave one more glance towards the corner Uta was behind, wishing he would come walking around the corner and straight to her. She let out a long sigh, knowing this was for the best. "Let's go."

* * *

The sun was shining brightly as Kairi pushed the covers off of herself. She jumped out of her pink and green bedding and quickly ran over to her closet, throwing on her school uniform. She grabbed her bright red backpack and ran down the stairs. "Mom! You didn't wake me up!" She complained as she set her bag down and ran over to grab some breakfast. "Hikari-chan will be here any minute!"

Fumi chuckled as her daughter sat in her spot and began eating some toast. "We still have some time. Tatsuyaki-san said they would be sure to stop by on their way to the school. It's only your second day after all." Fumi was glad her daughter had found a friend so soon. They have only moved into 22nd Ward a week ago.

Kairi ate her toast as quickly as she could and finished off her orange juice before jumping out of her chair and running to the door. A few minutes passed before she spotted her friend and her mother walking up the path to their house. "Hikari-chan!" Kairi threw open the door and ran out to hug her friend.

"Kairi-chan!" Hikari hugged her friend happily. They both smiled as they noticed their matching twin-tails. "Ready for school?"

"Yep!" Kairi quickly ran back into the house and grabbed her backpack. "Mom! They're here!"

"I'm coming." Fumi replied as she hung up her apron. "I'll be back after dropping Kairi off." She gave her husband a kiss on the cheek before she followed her daughter out of the house. "Good morning Tatsuyaki-san."

"Good morning Shimoto-san." Hikari's mother gave the other woman a gentle smile. "My daughter has spoken non-stop about how wonderful Kairi-chan is."

Fumi chuckled as the two little girls walked on ahead, chatting happily. "Kairi has certainly gotten attached to Hikari-chan. It looks like they've known each other their entire lives."

"It does, doesn't it?" The two women chatted idly as they followed their daughters to the school. Fumi spoke about her work as an investigator with her husband. Tsunade talked about her husband's work as a doctor and her work as an accountant. The two women got along well with each other.

"Bye mom!" Both girls called out as they ran into the school yard. The two women waved before turning and heading back the way they came.

Kairi grabbed Hikari's hand and they made their way towards their classroom. "What do you want to do today?" She asked as she set her bag down into her cubby, changing her shoes for her indoor ones.

"I want to explore the forest more." Hikari spoke up while looking out towards the small forest that was on the school property. "I want to find a secret place that only we know about."

"Sounds great." Kairi agreed as they headed to their seats so class could start.

The class went by quickly, and soon it was recess. The two girls took off running towards the forest, laughing as they ducked under branches and jumped over logs. They soon stopped when they came across a small clearing with a large, hollow log. "It's perfect!" Kairi called out as she ran towards it.

"Kairi-chan!" Hikari called out as a large, wild dog jumped over the log. He growled at the two girls, teeth bared. "Kairi-chan!" Kairi froze as the dog lunged towards her. But as the dog got near, a bright red claw knocked it away. "Get away from her!" Hikari stood between Kairi and the dog, eyes black and kagune extended.

The dog gave off a whimper before running off into the woods. "Hikari-chan?" Kairi watched as her best friend slowly turned towards her. Her black and red eyes were staring down at the grass while her bright red kagune hung limply. "You're a ghoul?" A small nod came from the girl. "Thank you." Kairi took the girl's hands and gave her a big smile as she stared at her with tears in her eyes. "You saved my life. Mom and dad keep saying that ghoul's are evil, but you aren't evil."

"You can't tell them!" Hikari blurted out as tears ran down her face. "Mommy told me no one can know. Otherwise we will have to leave. I don't want to leave Kairi-chan."

Kairi held up her pinky finger. "I won't tell, I promise." The two girl smiled as they joined their pinkies, promising to keep this their secret.

* * *

Kairi woke slowly from her dream. She flexed a hand in front of her face, smiling faintly. 'Hikari-chan...' She slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She stretched her arms up high, popping her spin straight from having slept curled on her side.

"Kairi-sama!" Yu swung open the door before bounding over to the large bed. "You have to come see what's on the news. The CCG killed Sasaki Haise."

Kairi froze at Yu's proclamation. She threw the blankets off and quickly walked around the bed and to the door, not bothering to pull anything overtop of the shorts and tank top she had slept in. She rounded the corner and stopped behind the couch in the living room. The TV was turned onto the news broadcast, reporting on the latest news from the CCG. "With the new change of leadership at the CCG, Ghoul's are now to be hunted down. This started yesterday after Bureau Director Washuu Kichimura publicly executed Sasaki Haise, The One-Eyed King." The news broadcaster continued to speak, but Kairi stopped listening.

"It wasn't him." She declared as she walked into the kitchen.

Wolf was drinking a cup of coffee, passing one to her with his free hand. "How do you know?"

"I know Sasaki-san very well, and he wouldn't have let them publicly execute him like that." She drank her coffee happily, her morning sickness was starting to rear it's head, but coffee soothed it. "And something tells me the Clowns need the King alive, for now at least."

"What's the plan then?" Brown Recluse leaned on the counter, knitting her fingers together. "All of the Ghoul's are starting to go underground. The CCG have a new team, they're deadly."

Kairi sipped her coffee as she thought of their plan. They couldn't coordinate with anyone else if they stayed separate. "Get your people underground and off the grid. And help as many others as you can. I'm going to check in with a friend of mine."

"I'll go this time." Crab volunteered as he put his mug into the sink. "I'll call my guys while you get dressed."

Kairi gave the man a nod before she finished met cup of coffee and returned to her room to change. It took her a good twenty minutes to find something suitable to wear and to set her wig properly on her head. It looked very similar to her original hair, dark and wavy. She walked out of her room and found Crab waiting by the front door. "Ready?"

Crab reached up and removed his mask from his face. "Ready." He tucked the mask into his jacket, feeling exposed without it. But sine they were traveling among the humans, a mask would give him away.

Kairi led the way out of the apartment and to the elevator. She stood and waited as it descended to the lobby. "You look a lot like your brother. When I first saw you I thought you were him for a second. Then you gave your little confident smirk."

"Nii-sama had the same smirk." Crab retorted, his face heating up at the comparison.

"True, but he smirked to the right. Your smirk goes to the left." Kairi giggled as his face grew a bit more red. "I miss them." They were quiet for the rest of the trip to the ground floor.

Once they were on the streets, Kairi hugged Crab's arm and led him down the road. They turned down enough roads that Crab lost all sense of where they were, but Kairi never slowed. Not until they reached a small little cafe. But instead of going through the front door, they turned down the alley and headed for the back. "Where are we?"

"A friend's place." Kairi knocked out a pattern on the back door, smiling when a familiar face opened it. "Irimi-chan, good to see you. Is Yomo-kun around?"

"Kairi-san?" Irimi looked at the woman in surprise. Last she heard she had gone off the grid, but here she was, looking like she had gone back in time. "Y-yeah, he's here."

Kairi dropped Crab's arm and walked past the stunned woman. "Great, I need to talk to him." She left her lieutenant at the back door and ventured into the kitchen of the cafe. She found Yomo busy cleaning dishes. "Hey. Can we talk?"

Yomo looked over his shoulder at the woman, noticing her nervousness habits immediately. "Yeah, sit before your legs give out." She walked over to him and sat on the counter, drying and stacking the dishes he had cleaned. "Uta's worried about you." He pretended not to notice how her shoulders sagged. "So's everyone else. You have a bad habit of vanishing into thin air."

Kairi chuckled, she did tend to disappear, but not always of her own choosing. "I needed some space. Spiders don't do well in closed spaces." Yomo nodded as he continued to work. "How is Kaneki-kun doing?"

"You heard the news huh?" Yomo chuckled, of course she would have. "He was here a short while ago. Just left to go check on things. Mado-san woke up as well. Your boss at the CCG."

"I'm glad." A smile spread across her lips as she thought of her time as an investigator. "I never thought I would become a Dove. But I have to say, I prefer being a Ghoul." The two worked in silence for a few more minutes until Yomo had no more dishes to wash. "When did you last talk to Uta?"

"A few days back." Yomo washed the sink of remaining soap bubbles before he picked up a rag and began putting dishes away. "Does he know this time?"

Kairi set the dried plate down and placed a hand over her stomach, she was starting to show through her clothes a little. "No, I didn't really know until a few days after I left." She chuckled a bit before it turned into a sob. "Why doesn't this ever work out? Why can't we just be happy?"

Yomo pulled the rag out of Kairi's hand before pulling her into a hug. She cried into his shoulder as he rubbed circles on her back. "You both are happy, you just need to talk. Not yelling, fighting, or trying to talk the other out of their idea, but talking and coming to a solution. I know he drives you up the wall sometimes, sometimes literally-" Kairi let out a chocked laugh. "-but that's something you accepted when you fell in love with him."

Kairi pulled back and wiped her tears with the back of her hand before accepting a clean rag from Yomo. "Thank you."

"Honestly, and people wonder why it took you both so long to get together." Yomo chuckled as Kairi blew her nose on the rag. "Better?" The woman nodded, passing him the dirty rag. "Then go home and rest, the baby needs it just as much as you do." He looked over to the door and gave the man there a hard look. "Keep her out of trouble. Otherwise I will be the least of your worries."

Crab gave the man a nod before looking back at Kairi. "The others just called, they're on the move to Black Base."

"Good, we should head there." Kairi pulled out her phone and sent a text to Yomo. "That's the location of our base. Give it to Kaneki-kun for me." She got off the counter and walked over to Crab. "Let's go."

"Tell Uta." Yomo spoke up as Kairi passed him. The woman just gave a small nod, not stopping for a moment. He looked over at Irimi as she looked towards where the two had gone. "Let's keep packing. Who knows when the CCG will come here. We have to be ready to leave here and not leave a trail."

* * *

Okay, so I am trying to decide where I am going to branch off from the manga storyline. So far I don't mind it, but there are definitely parts that I don't like. One of those parts came up in this chapter, but I just kind of skipped over it.

As of now, I am looking forward to where the manga is going, but I don't know how long that will take to develop. So I might take what I think will happen and make it happen how I want it, or I might have enough time to see how they play it out. Either way, i hope you enjoy the story.

Let me know what you think of the story. And also let me know what you think is going to happen to the baby this time? And for reference point she is about 3 months pregnant at this point.

And I apologize for the late update. I got a new job and I am going back to school as well. So updates might be few and far between.


	18. One More Try

I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.

* * *

Kairi frowned as she watched the large screen in their surveillance room. "What the hell Furuta." She cursed under her breath as the camera zoomed out, capturing the entire scene. The Chief of the CCG was standing atop a pile of corpses, ghoul's no doubt. Around him where children in black uniforms and masks, his newest squad of killers.

"Alright," She called for the attention of everyone in the room. "We are moving to full defensive measures. Get everyone underground to 24th Ward. Bring as many others as you can without giving yourselves away." All of her spiders began running about, taking down the room and packing up their equipment.

"You should go on ahead." Kairi looked over as Recluse watched her subordinates move. "You are our top priority."

"It should be everyone else." Kairi turned and left the room. She weaved her way around the spiders as she made her way to the door of their hideout. This one was a single floor on the ground floor. An old abandoned bus station In fact.

She stepped out onto the street, tucking her white hair into a hat so only the black was visible. She tucked her hands into the pockets of her hoodie as she walked down the road. To any normal citizen she looked like a human. But with those new hunters out, no doubt it was going to get harder to hide in plain sight.

It wasn't long before she was standing outside of a cute little cafe. With a smile on her face she stepped in, happy to be greeted by the smell of coffee. Her face became blank as the eyes of everyone else in the cafe fell onto her. "Hello." She greeted them happily.

"Kairi." Kairi gave Yomo a smile as he tilted his head over, inviting her to stand beside him. She happily walked over and stood beside her friend. "You look well."

"I've been well." She adjusted her hat. She tuned back into the conversation as Kaneki mentioned disbanding their bases. "I have a proposition." Once more everyone's eyes turned to her. "I've relocated all of my forces to 24th Ward, you are more than welcome to join us."

"Spiders." Kairi's eyes narrowed as her head snapped in the direction of the man dressed in a white suit. "Our King will make his own decisions."

"Thank you for the offer." Ken spoke calmly. "We will join you when it becomes necessary." Kairi nodded at his answer. Everyone began to move to fulfill Kaneki's orders.

Yomo nudged her elbow as he pushed off the wall and walked over to the kitchen. Kairi followed after him, having an idea of what he was going to talk to her about. The door shut and Yomo let out a heavy sigh. "Do you just not care anymore or are you trying to torture him?" Kairi looked at the wall beside her, causing Yomo to grumble. "He's worried sick about you. Even Itori is worried about him."

"I just...I'm not ready to see him again." Kairi hugged herself. "I'm tired of being put in a padded room."

"He's worried about loosing you again." Yomo rubbed his tired eyes. Uta had been bugging him about any lead on Kairi. Even though he knew the Clowns had the best spies around the city, other than the Spiders. "It nearly broke him the first time."

"Which first time?" Kairi asked with a bit of anger. "When I didn't show up and my parents were murdered in front of me? When I got kidnapped after you guys walked out? When I died?! When was the first time Yomo?" She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I need to bake." She didn't say anything else as she searched the kitchen for her ingredients, Yomo leaving her alone to calm down.

After a few hours she finished baking and pulled out a loaf of 'banana' bread. She smiled at the yummy smell. "Nothing like baking to get all your stress out." She placed the loaf onto a cooling rack before walking out of the kitchen. She found both Ken and Touka still around. "Everyone else already on the move?"

"Yes. I was wondering what that smell was." Touka giggled. "It makes it a little more painful to leave."

Kairi hugged the girl. "It's always hard to leave a place. Especially one with memories." She gave her a kiss on her hair head. "I'm going to get going. I have to get back." She returned to the kitchen, collecting her loaf in a cloth, and left out the back door.

A small giggle caught her attention, causing her to spin around and look down the alley. Five children stood on bicycles with large, thick wheels. "We found a spider." Kairi's eyes widened, these were Black Children. "Go!" As a wave they all pedaled forward.

Kairi wound up and threw the loaf in their direction, hitting one in the face, but it didn't stop them. "Fine." She reached behind her neck, going for Spider's Nest. A bullet ricocheted off of the shield on her back. "You should have gone for my head, Dove." The moment she touched her quinque it snapped to it's sword form. She dropped it to the ground as she ducked under more bullets.

She spins around to face the investigator, a face she did not recognize, and grabbed her sword in the process. She changed it to it's scythe form as she spun it around, cutting through three of the Black Children. "You should go home. This is no place for a child." Kairi spoke as she watched her opponents.

Her body tensed as wave of nausea hit her. 'Shit.' Kairi cursed as her opponents took the opening she had given them.

"Don't touch her." Kairi looked up to see a man land in front of her, his back easily recognizable. In an instant the two Children were torn to pieces. Then one of their bikes was thrown at the Dove. Uta turned to Kairi, his mask in place. "We should go." He held out his hand, hoping she would take it.

Kairi couldn't help the feeling of happiness and safety she felt, it was natural. Uta had always been her place of comfort. She moved past his hand and hugged him tightly. "Yes." She whispered against his body.

Uta held her just as tightly, praying this was not a dream. "You should put your scythe away." Kairi nodded as her scythe collapsed into the shape of a five barreled gun. He lifted her into his arms, she was still so light. "Hold on." A smile crawled onto his lips as an arm went around his neck, tucking her head in the crock of his neck.

Kairi settled into Uta's arms comfortably, he was so warm. Her eyes shut as she felt the wind blow her hat off of her head. 'Uta.' She smiled as her mind drifted into a pleasant sleep.

* * *

"Kairi." Kairi woke to the sun shining in through an open window. Uta hovered above her, smiling down at her. "You're still so cute when you sleep." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. "You smell different."

Kairi giggled as Uta fell onto his side and pulled her into his arms. "Uta, it's because I'm pregnant." She laughed again as his eyes grew almost comically wide. "We're having a baby." Her laughter died down as Uta's hand came to rest on her relatively flat stomach. "I should be somewhere around the end of my first trimester. I doubt I'll stay this flat for much longer."

"I love you no matter how fat you get." Uta chuckled as Kairi whacked his chest. "And this child will never feel unloved." He gently kissed her, coaxing her along. "Did you know? Back when you left?"

"No. I only found out a few weeks after." Kairi doubted she would have left him if she had known. "And by then, I felt guilty for leaving you like that. I couldn't face you again."

Uta hugged her gently, not wanting to do anything to the baby. "I'm sorry. I know I can be controlling...I am controlling, but it's all I know. So please be patient with me."

"Aren't I always?" Kairi teased as she snuggled into Uta's arms. "Uta, I can't sit on the sidelines, not when I can help. And you know how stubborn I can be. I'll be careful, I don't want to lose this one-I can't lose this baby." She wiped her tears on Uta's shirt, her arms too busy holding onto the man she loved.

Uta stayed silent as he thought things over. He knew Kairi would do something stupid and crazy if he refused her again, it was just how she was. So as long as he kept her by his side he could protect her. "Alright, but once you can't touch your toes anymore, you stop fighting. Deal?"

"Deal." Kairi agreed immediately. She sat up on the bed and stretched. "I'm hungry."

Uta chuckled remembering how she ate the last time she was pregnant. "What would you like?"

"Cake. Pie. Ice Cream. Eyeballs. Liver. Lasagna. Coffee." Uta chuckled as Kairi started listing off food. He paused as a sly grin grew on her face before she crawled on top of him. "And you." Both of her hands spread across his chest and moved up. "Any part of you." Kairi leaned down and pressed her lips against Uta's, slowly coaxing him into a kiss.

Uta rolled them over so he was looking down at Kairi. "Careful what you wish for, or you just might get it."

* * *

And that's all I got.

Sorry for being gone so long. A few other stories got in the way and I just couldn't come up with anything to write. But I am back and hopefully will have more to post.

And your welcome for giving you another baby. So, do we want a girl or a boy? Leave a comment for what you would prefer. (In other words I have no idea and need help deciding.)


End file.
